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CARINE 

A    STORY    OF    SWEDEN 


CARINE 


A    STORY   OF    SWEDEN 


By  LOUIS   ENAULT 


TRANSLATED    BY    LINDA    DA    KOWALEWSKA 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY    LOUIS   K.    HARLOW 


BOSTON 
LITTLE,   BROWN,   AND    COMPANY 


1891 


Copyright,  1891, 
By  Little,  Brown,  AiNu  Company. 


University  Press: 
John  Wilson  and  Son,  Cambridge. 


C  A  R  I  N  E. 


Toward  the  end  of  July,  in  the  year  1856, 
"  La  Walkyrie  "  (one  of  the  finest  packets  of 
the  great  Hamburg  line)  sailed  across  the  Bal- 
tic Sea,  and  after  a  superb  voyage  entered  the 
fjord  of  Gothenburg. 

It  was  nearly  midnight ;  the  sun  descended 
majestically  into  the  depths  of  the  Skagerrak, 
leaving  a  golden  light  on  the  waves,  —  setting 
slowly,  as  if  loath  to  leave  our  hemisphere. 
Arriving  at  the  extreme  point  of  the  horizon, 
where  sky  and  sea  seemed  to  unite,  the  golden 
disk  slowly   sank  beneath    the  waters,   leaving 


2  CARINE. 

behind  a  mystic  haze  of  mellow  light.  Ardent 
tints  lingered  in  the  west,  of  which  the  domi- 
nant colors  were  red  and  yellow  blended  in  one 
harmonious  cloud  of  most  poetic  tone,  —  the 
brilliant  light  above  melting  into  a  purplish  hue, 
and  above  all  the  deep  azure  of  the  firmament, 
in  which  floated  snowy  clouds,  taking  all  sorts 
of  grotesque  shapes.  There  were  chariots  with 
sparkling  wheels,  thrones  of  pale  gold,  and 
palaces  with  glittering  spires  and  of  most  fan- 
tastic architecture.  The  wind  arising  from  the 
sea  dispersing  them  only  to  be  replaced  by 
still  more  ideal  forms,  they  seemed  like  snowy 
silhouettes,  so  clearly  were  they  defined  by 
the  deep  blue  background. 

Scarcely  had  the  last  rays  vanished,  scarcely 
the  last  splendors  effaced,  scarcely  had  this 
bouquet  of  many  colored  flowers  died  away, 
when  they  were  followed  by  tints  of  lilac ;  and 
then  o'er  the  eastern  sky  glided,  with  roseate 
hue,  the  first  faint  rays  of  dawning,  —  for  in  this 
far  northern  land  on  this  night  there  had  been 


CARINE. 


no  darkness.  All  the  passengers  of  "  La  VVal- 
kyrie  "  were  standing  in  groups  at  the  bow  of 
the  vessel  looking  at  the  distant  city  which  they 
approached,  and  from  which  stretched  two  long 


piers  like  welcoming  arms  to  receive  them.  At 
the  foot  of  the  bay,  bathing  its  feet  in  the  sea, 
leaning  against  two  granite  mountains  crowned 
with  fir-trees  and  surrounded  by  beautiful  for- 
ests, the  city  of  Gothenburg  appeared  before 
them,  bathed  in  the  rosy  light  of  the  rising  sun ; 
this  light,  glancing  over  the  waves,  seemed  to 


4  CARINE. 

send  its  rays  not  from  on  high,  but  from  the 
ocean's  depths  from  which  it  had  just  emerged. 

The  passengers  were  joyful,  as  one  always  is 
at  a  journey's  end,  however  short ;  and  this  is 
especially  so  after  a  sea  voyage.  To  feel  one's 
feet  again  on  terra  firma,  even  if  one's  feet  do 
step  pretty  high  at  first,  is  a  great  satisfaction. 
Most  of  these  people  were  Norwegians,  recog- 
nized by  their  heavy  build  and  frank  open 
countenances;  they  were  returning  from  Bre- 
men, Dantzic,  and  Liibeck,  and  were  going  on 
to  Christiania  after  a  halt  at  Gothenburg.  There 
were  also  Swedes  who  had  made  "  the  grand 
tour  of  Europe  "  (as  they  call  it  in  Stockholm), 
and  now  returned  to  their  firesides  with  many 
souvenirs  and  curiosities.  They  were  all  fair 
complexioned,  with  light  hair  and  blue  gray 
eyes,  changing  from  blue  to  gray  like  the  sea 
with  which  they  were  so  familiar;  these  were 
typical  Norseman. 

Very  noticeable  among  these  placid,  fair- 
haired  Scandinavians  v/as  a   young  man  of  a 


CARINE.  5 

decidedly  different  type ;  his  dark  complexion, 
black  eyes  and  hair,  animated  manner,  and 
quick  step,  made  it  impossible  to  identify  him 
with  his  more  phlegmatic  companions.  He 
was  of  medium  height,  slender  and  well- 
formed  ;  and  the  large-limbed  Norwegians 
could  not  help  admiring  his  small  hands  and 
feet.  He  went  from  one  group  to  another, 
laughing  and  jesting  with  all,  talking  in  their 
own  tongue,  and  making  so  many  droll  remarks 
and  mistakes  that  he  provoked  smiles  on  all 
sides.  In  the  mean  time  they  were  passing 
through  a  forest  of  sails,  masts,  and  rigging,  — 
"  La  Walkyrie  "  opening  a  way,  thanks  to  the 
services  of  a  skilful  pilot,  —  and  soon  they 
perceived  the  quay  reserved  for  the  packet 
boats.  The  whistle  blew  noisily,  the  chains 
rattled,  and  there  was  excitement  on  board ; 
the  anchor  sank  in  the  shining  sand,  the  small 
bridge  was  thrown  across,  and  the  people 
rushed  on  shore.  The  young  stranger  was 
left  alone.  He  looked  at  his  watch  and  found 
it  was  past  midnight. 


6  CA  RINE. 

"This  is  no  time,"  said  he,  "to  pay  visits. 
It  seems  to  me  the  sun  has  lost  his  head ;  one 
knows  not  what  to  do  in  this  singular  country. 
I  cannot  distinguish  night  from  day." 

He  leaned  against  a  mast  and  watched  his 
late  companions  descend ;  then  he  gazed  a 
moment  at  the  silent  city.  The  morning  (if 
one  can  give  this  name  to  the  time  that  with 
us  always  belongs  to  the  night)  was  charming; 
the  air  was  clear  and  fresh  as  at  daybreak  in 
spring-time,  the  sun  was  not  yet  visible,  the 
fjord  was  bathed  in  a  glimmering  light  which 
threw  out  the  piers  in  strong  relief.  All  was 
silent. 

Gothenburg  slept ! 

In  our  climate,  in  the  midst  of  our  more 
exacting  and  energetic  civilization,  light  to  us 
means  labor,  and  we  know  little  of  repose 
without  darkness;  therefore,  to  the  inhabi- 
tant of  more  southern  climes  the  first  sight  of 
these  silent  and  deserted  sunlit  streets  pro- 
duces a  strange,  weird  impression. 


CARINE.  7 

No  sound  could  be  heard,  except  the  rip- 
pUng  and  eddying  of  the  sea,  which  penetrates 
almost  to  the  heart  of  the  city.  The  silence 
was  funereal.  A  feeling  of  melancholy  seized 
our  traveller,  and  with  this  ennui ;  he  realized 
that  he  was  fatigued.  Saluting  with  a  yawn 
the  Scandinavian  sun  and  his  first  day  under 
the  sky  of  Sweden,  he  threw  himself  on  some 
bales  of  cotton  that  were  piled  at  the  bow  of 
the  vessel,  and  fell  into  a  profound  slumber. 
When  he  awoke  it  was  nine  o'clock,  and  the 
♦  city  was  already  filled  with  noise  and  activity. 
He  descended  to  his  cabin,  and  after  taking 
great  pains  with  his  toilet,  ventured  on  the 
narrow  bridge,  and  soon  trod  with  joyful  step 
the  soil  of  Odin.  At  first  he  walked  rapidly 
straight  ahead,  his  elbows  bent,  shoulders  up, 
nose  in  the  air,  eyes  afar;  he  followed  for  a 
while  the  beautiful  granite  quay  which  runs 
in  a  straight  line  from  the  fjord  to  the  moun- 
tain. After  a  brisk  walk  of  ten  minutes, 
drinking    in    the    fresh    air,    he    stopped   and 


8  CARINE. 

asked  a  man  whom  he  met  to  direct  him  to 
a  certain  location;  but  he  spoke  so  rapidly 
and  so  brokenly  that  the  man  shrugged  his 
shoulders,  and  made  a  sign  which  signifies  in 
all  languages,  "  I  do  not  understand  you  "  and 


passed  on,  leaving  our  hero  much  chagrined, 
for  he  had  supposed  that  he  spoke  the  lan- 
guage fluently.  However,  this  young  man  was 
not  easily  discouraged ;  so  he  tried  it  again, 
and  this  time  spoke  slowly  in  a  loud,  distinct 
voice.      The    man  he   addressed  stopped,  hat 


CA  RINE.  9 

in  hand,  smiling  a  little  (no  doubt  at  his 
strange  accent),  and  made  a  courteous  bow, 
regarding  him  with  that  charming  good-will 
which  inhabitants  of  far-off  countries  feel 
toward  those  who  have  braved  the  difficulties 
of  their  language. 

After  having  received  instructions,  the  young 
man  changed  his  route,  and  leaving  the  straight 
line  of  the  quay  took  a  different  direction ;  he 
soon  arrived  at  the  suburbs  of  the  city  (for  it 
is  much  longer  than  it  is  wide),  and  paused 
before  a  fine  substantial  mansion  whose  mas- 
sive door  was  ornamented  with  a  burnished 
copper  plate,  which  shone  like  gold,  and  which 
bore  the  name  of  M.  Karl  Johan  Tegner,  mer- 
chant. The  stranger  raised  the  knocker,  which 
fell  with  a  sonorous  report  on  a  carved  bronze 
head,  and  presently  the  door  opened,  and  he 
found  himself  in  a  large  hall,  the-  floor  of 
which  was  covered  with  fir  branches  and  sweet- 
smelling  leaves.  At  the  same  time  a  young 
girl  came  out  of  the  drawing-room  and  stopped 


lO  CARINE. 

before  him.  They  regarded  each  other  a 
moment  without  speaking.  I'he  maiden  was 
at  home,  —  she  had  the  right  to  wait ;  it  was 
the  place  of  the  new  comer  to  speak.  He 
understood  this,  without  doubt,  for  after  a 
moment  of  mute  contemplation,  at  the  same 
time  calling  to  mind  all  he  knew  of  Sweden, 
so  as  to  give  her  a  high  idea  of  his  erudition 
and  gallantry,  he  exclaimed,  — 

"  How  beautiful  you  are,  Mademoiselle  !  " 
"  I  am  not  beautiful,"  replied  the  young  girl, 
laughingly;  "but  jv/^  are  a  Frenchman."  Her 
face  expressed  enjoyment,  good-humor,  an(} 
frank  gayety,  and  she  spoke  (a  little  slowly, 
perhaps,  but  with  a  pure  accent)  in  the 
pleasing  idiom  which  is  spoken  between  the 
Seine  and  the  Loire.  When  one  is  four  or 
five  hundred  leagues  from  his  native  land,  the 
sound  of  his  mother-tongue  is  pleasing  to  the 
ear  and  to  the  soul.  Our  hero  did  not  speak 
for  a  moment.  "Am  I  mistaken?"  said  the 
young  girl."    "Are  you  not  a  Frenchman?  " 


CARINE.  II 

"  At  your  service,  Mademoiselle,"  replied 
he,  bowing  low  to  her.  "  I  am  French,  Made- 
moiselle ;  or  rather,  I  am  a  Marseillais.  Do 
you  understand?"  he  said  gayly. 

"  But  Marseilles  is  in  France,  I  believe?  " 

"  Without  doubt,  I  am  then  French,  as  you 
said ;  and  I  am  called  Marius  Danglade." 

Marius  paused  as  if  to  judge  the  effect  of  his 
name  on  the  young  girl. 

"Marius  Danglade,"  repeated  the  pretty 
Swede  to  herself,  seeming  to  remember  some- 
thing. 

"  Have  I  the  good  fortune  to  be  known  to 
you?"  said  Marius. 

"Known?  No,"  replied  she;  "but  some- 
how your  name  sounds  very  familiar.  You  say 
you  are  from  Marseilles.  Do  you  know  the 
Swedish  consul,  M.  Frederick  Waldstrom?" 

"  Very  well ;  I  have  a  letter  from  him,  and 
also  one  for  M.  Karl  Tegner,  who  lives  here." 

"  He  is  my  father,"  said  the  young  girl.  "  Be 
so  kind  as  to  come  in  the  drawing-room.    I  will 


12  CARINE. 

let  him  know  you  are  here."  All  this  was  said 
gracefully,  and  with  an  air  of  perfect  ease  and 
good -breeding. 

Marius  saw  no  difference  in  her  manners 
from  those  of  the  most  well-bred  French  ladies. 
He  was  not  aware  that  the  Swedes  are  called 
the  French  of  the  North,  and  that  the  Swedish 
women  are  noted  for  their  elegance  of  manner, 
serious  education,  and  force  of  character.  Fol- 
lowing the  young  girl,  he  entered  the  salon; 
then,  ringing  a  bell,  she  gave  a  brief  order, 
which  Marius  did  not  understand,  to  the  ser- 
vant, who  soon  appeared  with  a  tray,  from 
which  she  offered  to  her  guest  a  glass  of  that 
hydromel  the  Swedes  call  nijod.  It  is  a  liqueur 
much  esteemed  by  them,  —  sweet  as  honey,  and 
bitter  as  the  beer  from  which  it  is  composed. 

Marius,  before  drinking,  saluted  her  with  a 
mixture  of  politeness  and  cordiality,  and  re- 
placing the  glass  on  the  silver  salver,  regarded 
her  with  more  attention  than  he  had  formerly. 
She  appeared  to  him  to  be  about  twenty  years 


CARINE.  13 

old,  —  and  he  was  not  far  wrong.  The  excla- 
mation he  had  made  on  first  seeing  her  was 
perhaps  a  little  exaggerated,  for  her  features 
were  not  regular  enough  for  her  to  be  considered 
in  a  strict  sense  a  beauty ;  but  she  had  many 
claims  to  the  term.  Her  complexion  was  ex- 
tremely fair,  fresh,  and  rosy,  and  her  expression 
brilliant.  Added  to  this  she  was  tall,  and  of  an 
exceedingly  beautiful  form ;  her  high  forehead 
was  crowned  by  an  abundance  of  auburn  hair, 
which  curled  lightly  around  her  temples,  and 
her  dark-btown  eyes  were  large  and  lustrous. 
All  these  charms  dazzled  Marius.  He  wished 
to  continue  the  conversation,  but  could  not 
think  of  a  word  to  say,  so  he  contented  him- 
self by  drawing  from  his  pocket  his  letters  of 
introduction.  Handing  them  to  the  young 
girl,  he  said,   '*  Here  are  my  credentials." 

"  You  can  give  them  to  my  father  in  a 
moment,"  she  said  smiling ;  **  I  hear  his  step 
in  the  room  above.  In  the  mean  time  be  so 
kind  as  to   give    me    some   news  of  Madame 


14  CA  RINE. 

Waldstrom, —  the  lady  who  has  given  us  the 
pleasure  of  your  acquaintance.  It  seems  to  me 
she  is  becoming  idle  in  France,  for  she  seldom 
writes  to  me  since  she  has  been  in  Marseilles." 

Marius  had  met  the  lady  several  times  at 
balls.  He  assured  the  pretty  Swede  that  her 
friend  enjoyed  herself  very  much  in  France, 
and  that  she  found  Marseilles  the  most  charm- 
ing city  in  the  world. 

"  She  ought  to  have  taken  the  trouble  to  tell 
me  so,"  said  the  young  girl,  smiling. 

"  She  sent  me  to  Gothenburg  expressly  to 
tell  you,"  said  Marius,  gayly. 

"  Be  seated  then,  Monsieur  I'Ambassadeur." 

She  was  still  speaking  when  the  door  opened 
and  gave  passage  to  the  majestic  person  of 
M.  Karl  Johan  Tegner, — most  honored  citi- 
zen of  Gothenburg,  one  of  the  greatest  lights 
of  the  Consul  du  Banque,  and  one  of  the 
first  notables  of  the  Bank  of  Commerce.  The 
young  girl  in  a  few  words,  and  with  the  ease 
Marius  had  already  admired  in  her,  presented 


CARINE.  15 

the  new  comer  to  her  father,  and  made  known 
to  him  the  situation. 

''  M.  Marius  Danglade,  welcome  to  Gothen- 
burg, and  to  my  house  ! "  said  M.  Johan 
Tegner,  in  much  the  same  tone  that  Hamlet 
took  when  he  received  his  mother's  guests. 
Then  he  read  the  letter  slowly,  at  times  mak- 
ing expressive  little  nods.  Folding  it  carefully 
and  putting  it  back  into  the  envelope,  he  said  : 
"  Waldstrom  is  one  of  my  best  friends ;  any 
friend  of  his  is  mine  also.  We  have  expected 
you  for  a  long  time,  and  we  have  interested 
ourselves  in  you  before  knowing  you.  Your 
name  has  been  mentioned  here  more  than 
once.  Has  it  not,  F^lfrida?"  asked  the  honest 
merchant.  -^ 

"  It  is  true,  Monsieur.  That  is  the  reason 
why  your  name  seemed  so  familiar." 

"All  this  is  very  well,  my  child,"  said  the 
merchant,  looking  affectionately  at  his  daughter ; 
"but  instead  of  talking,  have  Monsieur  Dan- 
glade's  trunks  sent  to  his  room." 


1 6  CARINE. 

"  It  is  necessary  to  know  where  they  are," 
said  she.  "  Monsieur,  in  coming  here,  had  his 
cane  in  one  hand,  hat  in  the  other.  That  is 
all  I  have  seen." 

"  Mademoiselle  is  right,"  said  Marins.  "  My 
modest  artist's  baggage  is  on  board  *  La 
Walkyrie.'  " 

"  Artist,  artist ;  it  is  not  of  an  artist  he  has 
written  me,"  thought  Tegner.  "  May  be  it  is 
a  fancy  of  this  young  merchant  to  pass  himself 
off  as  an  artist.  Of  course  I  will  say  nothing ; 
but  I  do  not  understand  it. — Then,"  said 
he  aloud,  "  you  have  left  your  trunks  in  your 
cabin?  " 

"  Yes ;  and  I  am  afraid  I  will  not  be 
permitted  to  bring  them  here  without  ex- 
amination." 

"  That  may  be,  young  man  ;  but  /  will  have 
them  brought  here." 

"Will  it  not  be  necessary  for  me  to  go? " 

"  At  one  word  from  me,  Karl  Johan  Tegner, 
they    would    bring    *  La    Walkyrie '     herself," 


CARINE.  17 

said  the  merchant,  with  a  gesture  of  proud 
confidence. 

'*  I  fear  to  abuse  your  hospitality," 

"  Have  we  the  air  of  putting  ourselves  out  for 
our  guests? " 

"  No,  indeed." 

"  Then,  a  truce  to  ceremony.  We  will  be 
delighted  to  have  you  stay  with  us ;  one  does 
not  come  here  from  the  other  side  of  the  world 
—  for  we  are  a  little  far  off —  to  stop  at  a  hotel. 
When  you  are  tired  of  us,  young  man,  it  will  be 
time  to  think  of  going." 

"Elfrida,  see  if  our  guest's  chamber  is 
ready." 

Elfrida  tripped  out  on  the  tips  of  her  toes, 
light  as  a  bird  who  condescends  to  walk  on  the 
earth,  but  who  seems  always  ready  to  take  wing. 

"  Meme,  quand   I'oiseau   marche,  on   voit  qu'il  a   des 
ailes." 

Five  minutes  later,  a  valet  in  livery  an- 
nounced that  the  French  gentleman's  chamber 
was  ready. 


1 8  CARINE. 

"You  are  at  home  here,"  said  the  merchant, 
as  he  showed  his  guest  upstairs,  and  ushered 
him  into  a  large  comfortable  room  containing 
one  large  window  opening  on  to  a  charming 
view. 

"  How  beautiful  it  is  here  !  "  cried  Marius, 
looking  out  at  the  fir-crowned  mountains. 

"  Try  to  amuse  yourself,  then ;  and  stay  a 
long  time.  I  will  give  you  the  programme  of 
the  house :  breakfast  at  ten,  dinner  at  four, 
supper  at  nine,  —  and  all  with  a  very  good 
appetite.  Be  prompt  at  your  meals ;  it  is  the 
one  thing  I  ask  of  you.  I  do  not  like  to  wait ; 
that  is  my  greatest  fault.  The  rest  of  the  time 
belongs  to  you." 

After  this  little  speech,  delivered  with  much 
frankness  and  good-will.  Monsieur  Tegner 
closed  the  door,  and  left  Marius  alone  to 
unpack  his  tninks  at  his  leisure. 

"  What  hospitable  people  these  strangers 
are  !  "  cried  the  young  man.  "  It  would  be 
impossible   to  show  more   cordiality  and  con- 


CARINE.  19 

sideration  !  Added  to  this  the  house  is  hand- 
some and  comfortable,  and  the  view  from  this 
window  most  beautiful.  Those  grand  old 
mountains  seem  to  be  posing  expressly  for  me  ! 
I  have  only  to  look  out  of  my  window  to  find 
the  most  admirable  models  that  a  landscape 
painter  could  wish  for.  I  do  not  forget  that 
the  daughter  is  charming ;  if  she  were  blond, 
the  lovely  Elfrida  would  be  perfection." 

Marius  was  aroused  from  his  pleasant  revery 
by  some  one  knocking  at  his  door.  It  proved 
to  be  two  sailors  who  were  porters  on  board 
"  La  Walkyrie,"  who  brought  his  baggage, 
and  soon  placed  at  the  foot  of  his  bed  his 
haversack  and  an  enormous  box  of  artists' 
materials. 


Marius    Danglade   was   a   gay  young   man, 
not   ashamed    of  being   young,   and   to  whom 
one    could    never    dream    of    applying    these 
lines,  — 
"  Donnez-moi  vos  vingt  ans,  si  vous  n'enfaites  rien  !  " 

for  he  employed  his  time  in  the  best  manner 
possible.  It  is  true,  his  twenty  years  were 
twenty-five.  He  had  first  seen  the  light  of 
day  in  one  of  our  most  poetic  cities,  —  a  city 
where  almost  every  one  has  a  sentiment  and 
taste  for  the  fine  arts,  where  nature  has  largely 
endowed  her  citizens  with  aptitude  to  seize 
and  the  faculties  to  express  the  beautiful.     We 


2  2  CA  RINE. 

have  already  said  Marius  was  a  Marseillais. 
Marseilles  is  filled  with  painters,  musicians, 
and  poets,  whose  artistic  productions  reveal 
remarkable  talent ;  but  in  general  its  inhabi- 
tants make  a  pastime  of  art  in  their  hours  of 
leisure.  Nature  has  been  lavish,  almost  to 
prodigality,  to  these  Marseillais ;  and  like  all 
inhabitants  of  southern  regions,  the  more  she 
gives  the  less  they  dream  to  restore  to  her. 
Like  the  peasants  of  this  too  fertile  clime, 
who  are  content  to  stir  the  soil  with  their  feet, 
and  after  sowing  their  seeds  leave  the  rest 
confidingly  to  the  showers  and  the  sunshine, 
the  Marseillais  are  too  indolent  to  push  to  the 
end  that  strong  culture  of  the  mind,  without 
which  the  human  plant  lacks  the  full  perfection 
of  flower  or  fruit. 

Marius  was  the  son  of  a  rich  ship-owner, 
who  had  a  counting-house  on  the  Cannebiere, 
a  villa  on  the  Prado,  and  a  country-seat  with 
a  poste-a-feu  near  the  (Gorges  d'  OUioules. 
He   had   shown    from    a    tender    age   a   great 


CA  RINE. 


23 


talent  for  drawing.  At  six  years  he  drew 
noses  and  ears ;  on  his  eighth  birthday  he 
presented  an  eye  to  his  father.  His  parents 
were  very  proud  of  his  talent,  and  his  grand- 
parents said  to  themselves  that  one  day  their 
grandson  would  be  a  model  cashier. 


When  he  was  fifteen  they  began  to  think 
he  drew  too  much,  and  wished  to  take  away 
his  pencils  and  give  him  a  pen.  He  gave  up 
his  pencils,  but  substituted  a  brush ;  one  does 
not  do  sums  in  addition  with  carmine,  ultra- 
marine and  raw  sienna  !  'I'he  family  began  to 
be  alarmed.  When  he  was  eighteen,  Marius 
declared  that  he  would  be  an  artist  or  nothing. 


24 


CARINE. 


What  a  disappointment !  It  was  not  for  this 
his  father  had  nurtured  him  so  carefully.  This 
worthy  man  was  a  ship-owner ;  he  had  destined 
his  son  for  the  same  business ;  he  possessed 
capital  in  ten  counting-houses  which  brought 
him  in  a  fine  income, — was  not  this  better  than 
to  be  a  dauber  of  canvas?  Menaces,  prayers, 
supplications  were  in  their  turn  employed  to 
make  Marius  renounce  his  brushes  and  color- 
box  ;  but  he  had  one  of  those  decided  voca- 
tions which  nothing  can  alter.  He  continued 
to  paint ;  he  painted  always,  and  he  painted 
well ;  he  was  successful  even  in  his  own 
country.  Every  one  praised  his  son's  talent 
to  the  ship-owner ;  this  only  augmented  his 
despair,  —  each  compliment  was  like  a  dagger 
in  his  heart. 

"  Our  little  Marius  has  great  talent,"  said 
to  him  one  of  his  confreres  at  the  bank. 

"  The  little  rogue  will  be  the  death  of  me  !  " 
cried  Monsieur  Danglade,  shrugging  his  shoul- 
ders mournfully. 


JL  CARINE.  25 

Notwithstanding,  when  Marius  had  obtained 
the  gold  medal  and  a  prize  of  five  hundred 
livres  in  a  competition  opened  by  the  artistic 
society  of  the  Bouches-du- Rhone,  his  paternal 
vanity  was  a  little  moved ;  but  he  was  very 
careful  to  conceal  it.  When,  the  following 
year,  Marius  sold  for  two  thousand  francs  to 
the  Cercle  des  Phoceens,  a  little  picture  no 
larger  than  his  two  hands,  the  merchant  con- 
cluded that,  after  all,  perhaps  the  commerce 
of  pictures  might  prove  a  good  business  for 
his  son,  especially  if  the  rascal  would  always 
paint  large  pictures ;  for  he  supposed  the  larger 
they  were,  the  more  money  they  brought. 

After  this,  and  in  consequence  of  the  de- 
clared intentions  of  his  son.  Monsieur  Danglade 
—  who  loved  Marius  sincerely  but  in  his  own 
way  —  only  resisted  in  form  ;  and  after  scold- 
ing a  little  more,  gradually  softened  and  finally 
surrendered,  and  finished  by  permitting  this 
''wayward  boy  "  to  ioWow  h\s  penchant.  What 
happiness  for  the  young  artist ! 


26  CARINE. 

Yet  our  most  excellent  merchant  was  des- 
tined to  undergo  more  tribulations.  His  son 
—  the  son  and  heir  of  a  banker  and  ship- 
owner—  was  not  content  to  be  a  portrait 
painter;  he  preferred  landscapes.  Of  all 
branches  of  the  art  of  painting,  landscape  is 
the  most  delicate  and  the  most  reserved,  and 
also  most  inaccessible  to  the  bourgeois,  whose 
unimaginative  candor  and  simplicity  demands 
something  real  and  tangible.  Nature  only 
reveals  her  charms  to  the  initiated,  and  will- 
ingly conceals  them  from  industry  and  com- 
merce. 

Many  persons,  when  they  buy  a  picture,  like 
to  see  men  and  women  like  themselves,  sitting 
or  standing,  and  gayly  clad.  They  play,  they 
eat,  they  drink,  they  kill,  they  die,  they  marry ; 
in  a  word,  they  do  those  things  which  we  are 
accustomed  to  see,  and  which  we  understand. 
This  kind  of  painting  is  that  which  the  artists, 
in  their  picturesque  and  imaginary  language, 
name  so  well  chercher  la  petite  bete.     La  petite 


CA  RINE. 


27 


bete  is  that  which  best  pleases  Monsieur  Tout 
le  Monde.  But  to  feel  the  mystic  charm  of 
daybreak  or  twilight  in  the  great  forests,  the 
rushing  and  murmuring  of  the  brook  which 
runs  under  the  willow's  drooping  branches,  to 
perceive  and  feel  Nature's  most  secret  har- 
monies, one  must  be  more  than  man :  one 
must  be  a  poet,  —  a  rare  species. 

Marius  could  not  content  himself  with  being 
a  painter,  —  aggravating  circumstance  !  He 
was  a  landscape  painter.  And  as  if  to  mark 
the  contrast  between  his  birth  and  his  des- 
tiny, in  the  midst  of  all  these  models,  —  arid, 
chalky,  desolate,  burned  by  the  sun  (never- 
theless beautiful),  which  presented  itself  at  each 
step  in  his  native  Provence,  —  this  child  of 
the  South  had  a  decided  preference  for  north- 
ern scenery.  A  journey  to  Switzerland  en- 
chanted him.  His  delight  was  unbounded 
when  he  went  from  Martigny  to  Chamouni 
by  Le  Col  de  Balme.  He  divined  the  Al- 
pine nature  as  it  is  given  few  men  to  divine. 


28 


CARINE. 


He  trembled  with  the  black  branches  of  the 
great  fir-trees ;  the  dazzling  snow  was  full  of 
charms  for  him ;  and  he  found  a  supreme 
pleasure  in  the  vertigo  one  feels  at  the  brink 
of  an  abyss.     He  even  longed  to  descend  into 


the  green  depths  of  the  sea  of  ice.  He  re- 
turned home  in  a  state  of  febrile  exaltation. 
He  felt  that  he  was  not  merely  an  artist  with 
a  brush  in  his  hand  ;  for  he  sought  to  penetrate 
the  "deepest  secrets  of  Nature,  and  his  inmost 
being  thrilled  with  an  enthusiastic  love  of  the 
beautiful. 


CARINE.  29 

Marius's  father  was  rich ;  and  as  every  one 
knew  he  did  not  need  money,  they  bought  his 
pictures  at  a  high  price.  Monsieur  Danglade, 
pere,  was  not  avaricious,  but  he  was  a  merchant, 
—  that  is  to  say,  profit  touched  him  ;  he  began 
to  beUeve  that  painting  might,  in  some  cases, 
be  a  very  profitable  business.  The  sight  of 
the  checks  warmed  his  heart  toward  Marius; 
to  tell  the  truth  it  had  never  been  very  cold 
toward  his  only  son,  and  he  was  very  glad  of 
an  excuse  to  show  his  affection. 

About  this  time  there  came  to  Marseilles 
a  friend  of  Monsieur  Danglade.  He  was  a 
lumber  merchant  from  the  North  ;  one  of  the 
most  influential  men  of  Sweden,  He  had  a 
counting-house  at  Stockholm,  a  manufactory 
at  Motala  for  iron  and  steel,  and  lumber-yards 
at  Christiansand,  with  a  steam  saw-mill.  Mon- 
sieur Danglade  and  he  had  known  each  other 
many  years,  and  had  formed  one  of  those 
friendly  liaisons  quite  natural  between  mer- 
chants in  the  same  line  of  business  whose  in- 


30  CARINE. 

terests  are  the  same.  The  old  Swede  took  a 
great  fancy  to  Marius. 

"  I  have  a  beautiful  daughter,"  said  he  to 
his  friend.  "  As  your  son  loves  the  fir-trees, 
the  granite,  and  the  snow,  send  him  to  us ;  he 
will  be  glad  to  go.  As  for  the  girl,  motus ! 
These  things  should  come  naturally,  or  not  at 
all.  If  they  do  not  fancy  each  other,  there 
are  plenty  more  beautiful  maidens  in  Sweden ; 
and  they  are  as  good  as  they  are  beautiful. 
Marriage  will  do  great  things  for  your  son. 
He  will  then  settle  down,  and  will  not  be  so 
restless." 

The  business  was  soon  settled.  They  agreed 
that  Marius  should  leave  home  toward  autumn, 
and  pass  the  winter  in  Sweden.  Winter  is  the 
proper  time  to  visit  northern  countries. 

It  was  then  spring-time ;  and  the  summer 
months  are  long  under  the  burning  southern 
sun.  Marius,  who  did  not  dream  of  love,  and 
whose  mistress  was  art,  asked  nothing  better 
than  to  go  to  Sweden,  and  spend  his  time  in 


CARINE.  31 

the  country  fields.  He  had  begun  the  grand 
tour  of  Europe,  —  which  every  artist  ought  to 
take,  at  least  once  in  his  life,  —  and  was  eager 
to  set  off  again  immediately.  But  his  father 
was  inflexible  ;  he  loved  his  son  after  his  own 
fashion.  He  had  made  up  his  mind  to  this 
separation,  for  he  believed  it  would  prove  for 
his  good ;  but  he  would  not  let  him  depart 
until  the  appointed  time.  He  engaged  a  Swe- 
dish professor  for  him,  so  that  he  might  pay 
court  to  the  Swedish  ladies  in  their  own  lan- 
guage, which  is  always  an  advantage. 

Monsieur  Danglade  knew  that  Marius  had 
resisted  all  the  seductions  of  Marseilles;  that 
he  seldom  went  to  the  poste-a-feu  where  the 
young  men  of  his  age  usually  resorted  for 
shooting-matches,  etc. ;  and  that  he  disap- 
proved of  the  gallantries  and  dissipations  of 
his  companions. 

His  father,  prosaic  as  he  was,  comprehended 
that  there  was  something  unusually  noble  and 
pure  in  his  son's  character ;  and  he  was  secretly 


32  CARINE. 

proud  of  him,  and  respected  him.  He  did 
not  even  hint  of  his  marriage  projects ;  so  he 
signed  his  furlough  for  the  first  of  July,  and 
bade  him  God-speed. 

Our  hero,  sufficiently  ballasted  with  letters 
of  credit,  —  and  to  such  recommendations  the 
business  men  of  the  North  always  pay  due 
honor,  —  travelled  through  Europe  slowly,  loi- 
tering on  the  way;  and,  after  several  weeks' 
pleasant  journeying,  arrived  at  Gothenburg. 

The  address  of  the  first  letter  of  introduction 
we  have  already  seen  was  to  one  of  the  most 
influential  merchants  of  that  city.  His  recep- 
tion was  most  cordial,  and  Marius  was  prepared 
to  enjoy  everything. 


Cf  Ml 


The  Tegner  family  breakfasted  invariably 
at  ten.  Punctuality  was  M.  Karl  Johan  Teg- 
ner's  hobby ;  and  for  the  right  to  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  three  crowns  of  Sweden,  he 
would  not  have  consented  to  change  for  one 
instant  the  accomplishment  of  this  important 
duty.  The  morning  after  our  hero's  arrival,  he 
walked  up  and  down  the  wide  hall  before  his 
guest's  chamber,  and  consulted  his  watch,  which 
was  regulated  every  three  or  four  days  ;  and 
when  he  saw  that  it  only  lacked  one  minute 
3 


34  CARINE. 

of  ten  o'clock,  he  knocked  at  the  door  of  the 
young  man's  room.  Marius  immediately  ap- 
peared, dressed  and  ready. 

"You  are  punctual,"  cried  his  host.  "Why, 
this  is  a  marvel !  Nothing  is  so  injurious  as  to 
change  one's  meal  hours.  The  stomach  should 
be  respected,  like  misfortune  !  Come,  let  us 
go  down." 

The  clock  on  the  staircase,  the  clock  in  the 
hall,  and  the  French  time- piece  in  the  drawing- 
room  (a  time-piece  of  Boule  brought  from 
France  in  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  which 
has  scattered  over  the  world  our  arts  and  our 
ideas),  and  the  summons  of  the  dining-room, 
sounded  at  the  same  time  with  a  precision 
which  would  have  done  honor  to  the  marine 
watch  of  an  admiral.  They  had  struck  six 
times  when  the  two  men  put  their  feet  on  the 
last  step  of  the  staircase.  At  the  same  mo- 
ment, that  most  respectable  lady  Madame 
Brigette  Tegner  appeared  at  the  entrance  of 
the  vestibule. 


CARINE 


35 


"Come,  then,  my  dear,"  said  the  merchant, 
with  the  manner  of  a  Louis  XIV.  bourgeois; 
"we  have  waited  for  you." 

"  I  came  out  of  church  during  the  Reverend 
Oxen's   sermon,"   replied   Madame  Tegner   in 


a  meek  voice,  "and  I  do  not  think  I  am   to 
blame." 

"  Come,  then,  to  table,"  said  her  husband. 
"  I  hope  Ulrica  has  been  as  punctual  as  we. 
My  dear,  in  my  haste  I  have  forgotten  to 
present  to  you  our  guest,  M.  Marius  Danglade, 
a  friend  of  that  excellent  Waldstrom,  our 
consul  at  Marseilles." 


36  CARINE. 

"Monsieur,  I  am  happy  to  meet  you,"  said 
Madame  Tegner,  making  a  stiff  and  cere- 
monious bow. 

Madame  Brigette  seated  herself  at  the  foot 
of  the  table,  in  a  large  wooden  arm-chair,  with 
a  high  back  crowned  with  a  canopy  of  elabo- 
rately carved  wood,  and  with  an  air  of  dry 
dignity  asked  the  young  man  to  take  the 
seat  at  her  right.  Then  between  them  she 
placed  a  large  prayer-book  bound  in  black 
leather,  whose  well-worn  corners  attested  con- 
stant use.  Marius  had  hardly  seen  her  yet; 
and  as  he  loved  to  observe  people,  he  profited 
by  a  moment  when  her  attention  was  distracted 
to  examine  her  hastily.  She  was  a  woman  as 
tall  as  her  husband  was  short,  as  thin  as  he 
was  fat ;  she  was  tall,  stiff,  and  straight,  with 
strongly  marked  features.  Her  complexion 
was  colorless,  and  the  only  expression  she 
possessed  was  in  her  small  gray  eyes,  which 
were  keen  and  piercing,  and  shone  with  a  hard 
cold  light.     Her  hair,  which  cruel  age  had  at 


CARINE.  37 

the  same  time  faded  as  well  as  thinned,  might 
once  have  been  auburn,  if  one  could  judge  by 
the  stray  locks  which  occasionally  escaped  from 
her  close  black  crape  bonnet.  She  was  dressed 
in  a  woollen  robe  of  that  sad  color,  to  which 
the  Carmelites  have  given  their  name,  falling 
by  a  single  plait  from  her  shoulders  to  her 
feet ;  it  looked  like  a  meal  sack.  Altogether 
her  appearance  (despite  the  pleasant  expres- 
sion of  her  mouth  when  she  smiled,  which 
was  rarely)  was  not  very  reassuring,  and  our 
young  Frenchman  felt  somewhat  chilled.  She 
even  had  a  bad  effect  on  his  appetite  ;  but  he 
soon  learned  not  to  mind  the  pious  Brigette, 
who  was  always  occupied  with  her  religious 
duties,  and  who  had  very  little  to  do  with  the 
housekeeping. 

Besides,  Marius  had  always  before  him,  to 
nullify  the  depressing  effects  of  the  mother, 
the  fresh  young  face  of  Elfrida,  with  all  the 
careless  grace  and  gayety  of  youth.  This 
pretty  creature  went    to  and   fro,   making  the 


38  CARINE. 

tea,  and  attending  to  everything,  without  even 
tasting  the  raw  fish,  smoked  meats,  and  other 
delicacies  of  no  less  rude  digestion,  which  her 
parents  seemed  to  relish  so  much. 

"Do  you  never  eat?"  asked  Marius. 

"  Sometimes,"  replied  she,  laughingly ;  "  and 
I  will  keep  you  company  in  a  moment.  Will 
you  not  take  one  of  these  tartines  and  a  cup 
of  tea?" 

It  was  she  who  served  this  perfumed  bever- 
age, and  Marius  looking  at  her  rosy  fingers 
and  lovely  hands  found  the  tea  of  superior 
quality.  He  was  not  mistaken,  for  this  was 
"  caravan  tea,"  brought  overland  through  the 
steppes  of  Russia,  which  had  not  lost  its  deli- 
cate aroma  by  a  sea  voyage,  for  never  had 
the  iron  and  copper  of  a  vessel  mixed  their 
perfidious  odors  with  its  subtile  fragrance. 

"And  Carine?"  cried  Monsieur  Tegner; 
"where  is  she?  You  well  know  that  I  do 
not  enjoy  my  breakfast  without  her  !  " 

"  Behold,"    thought    Marius,    "  a   reflection, 


CARINE.  39 

which  with  these  adorable  mutton  chops  and 
this  beef  tongue,  comes  a  Uttle  late  !  " 

"  You  think  too  much  of  that  little  one,  and 
your  sensibilities  will  kill  you,"  said  Madame 
Tegner  with  a  seriousness  so  profound  and  a 
countenance  so  grave  and  impenetrable,  that 
the  most  skilful  physiognomist  had  been  unable 
to  decide  whether  this  was  a  sarcasm  or  the 
expression  of  a  sincere  and  solicitous  affection. 

Marius's  eyes  went  from  wife  to  husband 
without  arriving  at  any  conclusion.  "  Per- 
haps," thought  he,  "  I  shall  be  more  successful 
with  the  daughter,  who  ought  to  be  less  dis- 
sembling," and  he  looked  quickly  at  the  young 
girl. 

Elfrida  was  no  less  impenetrable  than  her 
honorable  parents.  She  poured  the  cream 
into  her  tea,  and  seemed  to  pay  the  greatest 
attention  to  this  difficult  task,  and  her  chief 
object  seemed  to  be  to  see  if  she  had  suffi- 
ciently paled  the  Chinese  nectar ;  but  through 
her  lowered  eyelids,  with  that  intuitive  power 


40  CARINE. 

of  divination  with  which  nature  has  endowed 
young  girls,  she  felt  that  the  stranger  was 
watching  her.  She  took  from  the  table  a  cup 
of  pink  porphyry  of  Dalecarlia,  which  served 
for  a  sugar-bowl,  and  handing  it  to  him  said, 
"Will  you  have  some  sugar?"  at  the  same 
time  giving  him  a  coquettish  glance  from  her 
lovely  brown  eyes.  Her  expression  was  calm 
and  serene,  and  Marius  did  not  appease  his 
curiosity  in  this  quarter. 

In  the  mean  while  Monsieur  Tegner,  who 
was  of  a  positive  nature,  and  was  not  the  man 
to  be  satisfied  with  vague  words  when  he  took 
it  into  his  head  a  reply  was  necessary,  said 
severely,  "  I  asked  you,"  —  and  he  glanced 
from  the  venerable  Brigette  to  Elfrida,  —  "I 
asked  you,"  repeated  he,  "7c>here  is  Carine?" 

Madame  Tegner,  who  could  dissimulate  no 
longer,  made  a  quick  gesture  of  impatience, 
which  was  promptly  suppressed,  and  looked 
down.  As  for  Elfrida,  a  close  observer  might 
have  remarked  a  trace  of  irritation  in  the  fine 


C A  RIME.  41 

and  delicate  arch  of  her  eyebrows ;  but  as  her 
father  had  spoken  particularly  to  her,  she  could 
no  longer  elude  the  question. 

"  Carine  has  already  breakfasted,"  replied 
she,  sweetly. 

"Always  the  same!"  said  Monsieur  Tegner 
in  a  grieved  tone. 

"Why  do  you  wish  her  to  change?"  said 
his  wife.  , "  She  is  to-day  what  she  was  yester- 
day, and  she  will  be  to-morrow  as  to-day." 

These  remarks,  questions,  and  replies,  had 
been  made  quickly  and  in  a  low  tone  in 
Swedish,  although  French  had  been  spoken 
before  all  through  breakfast.  Marius  spoke 
the  language  tolerably  well,  but  not  well 
enough  to  understand  perfectly  this  brief  dia- 
logue. Perhaps  he  would  not  have  taken  such 
an  interest  in  the  mysterious  Carine  had  it  not 
been  for  this ;  his  curiosity  was  aroused  by 
the  reiterated  questions  of  the  merchant,  the 
insufficient,  and  embarrassed  replies  of  his  wife 
and  daughter,  which  seemed  to  throw  a  little 


42  CARINE. 

restraint  over  all,  as  each  one  hastened  to  leave 
the  table.  Madame  Tegner  gave  the  signal 
by  taking  her  book,  which  she  placed  under 
her  arm ;  then  raising  herself  stififly  from  her 
chair,  like  an  automaton  worked  by  springs, 
she  left  the  room,  followed  by  Elfrida. 

Tegner  was  much  chagrined  by  the  unfortu- 
nate result  of  his  remarks,  and  hastened  to 
console  himself  with  a  little  glass  of  old  rum ; 
then  making  the  tour  of  the  room  two  or 
three  times,  to  gain  the  thread  of  his  ideas 
interrupted  by  the  copious  breakfast  he  had 
swallowed,  as  one  unites  the  ends  of  the 
transatlantic  cable  broken  by  a  tempest,  and 
putting  his  hands  on  Marius's  shoulder,  he 
said,  — 

"Young  man,  you  are  as  free  as  a  bird  in 
the  air,  as  a  fish  in  the  water.  The  city  is 
pleasant,  the  country  is  beautiful,  and  the  roads 
are  good.  I  wish  I  could  accompany  you  and 
do  the  honors  of  my  country ;  unfortunately,  I 
am  obliged  to  make  much  money,  and  I  work 


CARINE.  43 

harder  than  any  two  of  my  clerks.  Do  you 
wish  a  guide  ?  I  cannot  promise  a  good 
one." 

"  Keep  him,  then,"  said  Marius,  gayly.  "  I 
do  not  like  a  courier.  I  make  voyages  of  dis- 
covery, which  amuse  me  infinitely.  I  am  cap- 
able of  discovering  that  you  have  a  church,  a 
prison,  and  a  bank.  Do  not  fear ;  I  will  amuse 
myself  all  day." 

"  Very  well,  my  dear  boy,  on  condition  that 
your  day  is  finished  at  four  o'clock ;  for  at 
four  o'clock  and  thirty  seconds  we  shall  be 
seated  at  the  dinner-table.  You  have  seen 
that  I  allowed  a  little  delay  at  breakfast,  but 
in  regard  to  dinner  I  am  inflexible ;  pass  that 
time,  and  your  punishment  will  be  severe." 

Before  leaving  the  house  Marius  looked  for 
Elfrida ;  but  she  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 
She  had  retired  to  her  room  to  sew  or  to 
study ;  for  although  the  Swedish  ladies  give 
their  evenings  willingly  to  hospitality,  polite 
conversation,  and   honest   familiarity,  they  re- 


44  CARINE. 

serve  at  least  the  greater  portion  of  their  days 
for  the  cultivation  of  their  minds,  and  for  the 
performance  of  household  duties. 

The  young  Frenchman  occupied  the  whole 
day,  which  seemed  very  short,  in  roaming 
about  the  city.  It  is  a  rare  enjoyment, 
always  appreciated  by  an.  artist,  to  find  one's- 
self  in  the  midst  of  a  foreign  country,  where 
everything  is  new,  strange,  and  surprising,  and 
where  each  step  leads  to  the  unknown.  Ma- 
rius,  with  artistic  instinct,  sought  everywhere 
new  types  of  beauty  or  ugliness.  He  followed 
an  elegant  form  across  the  street ;  he  walked 
a  half  mile  to  meet  again  a  beautiful  blonde 
with  floating  hair  under  a  large  hat.  All  this 
without  the  least  thought  of  wrong ;  his  admi- 
ration was  purely  artistic.  A  man,  provided 
that  he  was  well  built,  that  he  had  a  figure 
which  would  look  well  on  canvas,  was  as 
much  the  object  of  his  minute  examination 
and  systematic  research  as  the  most  beautiful 
woman.      With   Marius   passion   had    not    yet 


CARINE. 


45 


awakened ;  it  was  the  artistic  sense  that  dom- 
inated his  spirit. 

The  day  passed  rapidly,  Uke  enchantment ; 
without  leaving  the  city,  Marius  had  enjoyed 
himself  greatly.  He  saw,  he  lived,  he  studied, 
and  he  learned ;  he  found  everything  attractive, 


and  ever}'thing  he  saw  charmed  him.  Gothen- 
burg is  truly  a  pleasant  city,  admirably  situated, 
full  of  life  and  movement,  attracting  all  the 
neighboring  population  as  the  centre  of  com- 
merce, and  presenting  to  the  traveller  numerous 
samples  of  different  races,  and  a  foretaste  of 


46  CARINE. 

Swedish   civilization    which   he    will   find    later 
on  at  Stockholm,  its  brilliant  capital. 

Our  Marseillais  would  have  gladly  passed 
the  rest  of  the  day  wandering  around  the  city ; 
but  he  had  constantly  on  his  mind  the  urgent 
request  of  his  worthy  host  to  be  punctual  at 
dinner.  He  had  faithfully  promised  this  mag- 
nificent diner  to  be  prompt,  and  he  did  not 
wish  to  give  his  host  a  bad  opinion  of  his  good 
breeding,  on  the  first  day  at  least.  On  pass- 
ing a  church  he  looked  at  the  dial,  the  hand 
of  which  pointed  to  twenty  minutes  before 
four.  He  was  not  sure  of  his  way,  and  as  he 
did  not  wish  to  lose  any  time  asking  people 
who  might  find  his  Swedish  unintelligible,  he 
hailed  one  of  the  six  public  carriages  of  Go- 
thenburg and  pronounced  the  name  of  Tegner. 
The  driver  on  hearing  it  smiled  knowingly, 
and  nodding,  as  if  to  say,  "  I  understand," 
whipped  his  horses ;  and  after  a  rapid  drive 
of  five  minutes  through  the  narrow  streets, 
Marius   found    himself    before    the   substantial 


C ARISE.  47 

mansion  of  the  honorable  merchant,  easily 
recognized  by  its  granite  corners,  its  salmon-, 
colored  walls,  and  its  light  green  outside 
window-blinds.  He  paid  the  man  liberally, 
laughing  to  himself  at  his  narrow  escape,  and 
entered  the  house. 


The  house  had  taken  on  an  air  of  festivity. 
There  were  fresh  leaves  and  sweet-smelHng 
herbs  on  the  floor  of  the  wide  hall ;  there  was 
sage,  thyme,  lavender,  rose-leaves,  and  other 
fragrant  herbs  new  to  Marius.  An  appetizing 
odor  from  the  kitchen  spread  itself  from  cellar 
to  garret ;  the  stew-pans  smoked  on  all  the 
stoves ;  the  butler  carried  in  a  basket  filled  with 
bottles  of  all  sizes ;  and  the  majestic  Ulrica 
showed  her  importance  before  the  vast  fire- 
place, where  three  stories  of  roasts  were  baking 
at  the  same  time. 

4 


5©  CARINE. 

The  honorable  Karl  Johan  Tegner  stood 
with  his  hands  crossed  behind  his  back,  in  a 
satisfied  manner.  He  went  from  one  thing  to 
another,  giving  everything  the  finishing  touch  ; 
he  tasted  the  sauces  and  the  salads,  and  laid 
out  in  a  row  on  the  vast  sideboard  the  bottles 
brought  from  the  cellar,  in  the  order  he  wished 
them  to  be  served,  and  himself  placed  on  each 
napkin  the  name  of  the  distinguished  guests 
who  were  to  dine  with  him. 

"A  la  bonne  heure  ! "  cried  he  on  seeing 
Marius.  "  Behold  a  punctual  man  !  But  be 
tranquil ;  before  forty  minutes  we  will  eat  a 
soup  of  swallows-nests,  which  has  been  sent 
to  me  expressly  from  Holland,  and  which  will 
be  served  by  the  hands  of  no  less  a  person  than 
Madame  Karl  Johan  Tegner." 

"  You  are  superb  !  "  cried  Danglade,  regard- 
ing the  brilliant  cravat,  the  chamois  waistcoat 
with  large  revers,  and  the  maroon  coat  with 
golden  buttons  of  the  merchant.  "  Is  it  then  a 
fete?    Are  you  going  to  marry  your  daughter?" 


CA  RINF.  5  I 

"  Not  yet,"  said  Tegiier,  winking  his  eye. 

"Then  you  have  the  viceroy,  the  admiral, 
the  general,  for  your  guests?" 

"You  will  soon  see,"  said  Tegner,  strutting 
like  a  peacock,  which  proudly  displays  its  bril- 
liant plumage. 

"Well,  as  it  is  thus,  I  will  go  to  my  room 
and  make  myself  worthy  of  the  illustrious 
company." 

"  Ha,  ha  !  make  yourself  handsome  !  "  cried 
the  jolly  host ;  "  every  one  cannot  be  that." 

When  Danglade  reappeared  in  a  costume 
of  which  the  elegant  simplicity  contrasted  per- 
haps with  the  gorgeous  apparel  displayed  by 
Tegner,  he  found  five  or  six  men  in  the  salon. 
The  merchant  named  them  successively,  — 
the  president  of  the  bank ;  the  commander  of 
a  squadron  of  artillery,  charged  with  the  coast 
defence ;  several  wealthy  merchants  of  the  city. 
The  young  Frenchman  was  received  with  that 
courtesy  and  good-will  which  all  Swedes  feel 
for  us. 


52  CARINE. 

As  the  guests  had  all  arrived,  the  folding 
doors  opened,  and  Madame  Tegner  appeared, 
followed  by  Elfrida.  The  elder  lady  had  not 
as  usual  her  prayer-book  under  her  arm  ;  but 
it  was  clearly  to  be  seen  that  she  missed  it, 
for  at  times  she  pressed  her  elbow  to  her  side 
as  if  to  prevent  its  falling,  and  seemed  em- 
barrassed on  not  finding  it  in  its  accustomed 
place.  The  gray  woollen  gown  was  replaced 
by  a  robe  of  violet  silk,  the  shape  of  which  was 
the  same  as  a  sack ;  it  hung  in  shapeless  folds 
around  her  bony  figure.  It  was  evident  that 
crinoline  had  not  yet  reached  Sweden,  or  else 
the  pious  lady  objected  to  it  on  religious 
grounds. 

Happily  Madame  Tegner  had  a  lovely 
daughter,  who  dressed  well.  Whether  she 
had  a  particular  reason  for  appearing  more 
beautiful  than  usual  this  evening  we  cannot 
say ;  but  it  is  certain  that  she  was  so  charming 
that  the  gentlemen  of  the  party  could  not  re- 
frain from  an  exclamation  of  admiration  when 


CARINE. 


53 


she  appeared  before  them.  Their  praises 
were  merited.  It  was  hardly  possible  to  look 
fresher,  or  more  like  a  lovely  half-blown  rose 
from  which  the  dew   had   never  been  shaken. 


Her  brilliant  eyes  shone  like  two  black  dia- 
monds, her  forehead  gleamed  like  polished 
white  marble,  and  her  lovely  complexion  was 
as  transparent  as  alabaster. 

Perhaps  in    Paris,   where    capricious   fashion 
exercises  always  an  empire  as  ridiculous  as  it 


54  CARINE. 


is  absolute ;  at  Paris,  where  a  thing  is  out  of 
fasliion  to-day  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  was 
the  fashion  yesterday ;  and  where  the  first  title 
to  be  is  of  not  having  yet  been,  —  at  Paris  one 
might  have  considered  this  costume  of  Elfrida 
old-fashioned.  It  was  simply  a  velvet  spencer 
of  a  light  green  color,  fitting  perfectly  her 
charming  figure,  open  at  the  neck,  revealing 
her  beautiful  swan- like  throat,  and  ending  with 
three  little  sashes  over  a  white,  hooped  silk 
skirt.  This  might  have  been  the  fashion  of 
1820;  but  for  Marius  it  was  all  the  same.  In 
1856  this  costume  certainly  was  not  worn 
at  Paris  or  at  Marseilles ;  but  the  dress 
was  pretty,  and  exceedingly  becoming  to 
Elfrida. 

In  the  mean  while  our  worthy  host  had  not 
forgotten  the  dinner;  and  after  his  guests  had 
sufficiently  admired  his  daughter's  beauty,  and 
paid  tribute  to  her  good  taste,  —  which  pleased 
the  father,  for  it  tickled  his  paternal  vanity, — 
he    hastened    to    remind    them :    "  All   this  is 


CARINE. 


55 


very  well,"  said  he,  '*  but  my  daughter  is 
modest,  and  the  dinner  is  getting  cold." 

F^lfrida  then  rang  a  bell,  when  a  servant  in 
full  livery  entered  the  room  bearing  a  large 
tray  loaded  with  sandwiches,  in  which  smoked 
fish  took  the  place  of  our  ham  or  tongue,  and 
with  little  glasses  of  white  brandy  distilled  from 
potatoes.  Each  one  ate  a  sandwich  or  two, 
and  swallowed  his  glass  of  this  beverage,  which 
Marius  found  frightful ;  after  which  they  passed 
into  the  dining-room,  where  most  of  the  guests 
showed  veritable  prowess. 

Our  young  friend  had  been  superseded  in 
the  place  of  honor  at  Madame  Tegner's  right 
by  two  gray,  bald,  and  portly  functionaries; 
but  as  he  was  placed  between  Elfrida  and  her 
jolly  old  father,  the  change  was  a  most  agree- 
able one  to  him,  and  he  did  not  dream  of 
complaining.  He  spoke  often  in  French  to 
his  lovely  neighbor,  much  to  the  displeasure 
of  their  i>is-a-vis,  —  a  young  merchant,  whose 
appetite   suffered  from  ineffectual  attempts  to 


56  CARINE. 

hear  fragments  of  their  conversation,  of  which 
unfortunately  the  meaning  escaped  him  more 
than  the  words.  He  was  a  handsome  young 
man  with  thick  red  hair,  light- blue  eyes,  carry- 
ing lightly  his  thirty-four  years,  and  answering 
to  the  name  of  Frederick  Brask.  He  had  long 
sighed  for  the  fair  Elfrida,  but  they  were  not 
yet  fiances. 

After  a  while,  when  the  edge  of  their  appe- 
tites was  somewhat  appeased,  and  when  the 
wines  of  France  and  Germany  had  elevated 
their  spirits,  the  host  rose,  and  holding  a  bottle 
in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other  a  champagne 
glass  of  Bohemian  ware,  cracked  to  imitate  ice, 
—  a  glass  so  rare  and  beautiful  that  it  seemed 
to  improve  the  piquant  aroma  of  the  generous 
and  insidious  liquor,  —  "I  drink,"  said  he, 
"  '  fraternity  '  with  the  young  Frenchman  Ma- 
rius  Danglade,  whom  I  have  had  the  pleasure 
to  present  to  you  this  evening." 

"  Provided  that  it  be  not  paternity  that  we 
drink  together,"  murmured  Frederick  Brask. 


CARINE.  57 

Elfrida  lightly  shrugged  her  shoulders ;  but 
Tegner  heard  nothing,  or  feigned  not  to  hear ; 
for  filling  the  glass  of  Marius  and  his  own,  and 
locking  his  right  arm  in  the  left  arm  of  his 
guest,  they  raised  at  the  same  time  the  glass  to 
their  lips.  This  ceremony  is  called  in  Sweden 
"  Drinking  fraternity,"  and  is  a  sacred  tie 
between  two  men.  All  the  guests  came  in 
their  turn  and  touched  their  glasses  to  that 
of  the  young  Frenchman.  Only  one  thought 
best  to  refrain,  and  remained  aside ;  this  was 
Frederick  Brask,  who  observed  all  the  details 
of  this  little  scene  with  an  uneasy  attention. 
Marius  showed  his  good  breeding  by  not  no- 
ticing this  apparent  slight,  which  seemed  to 
mortify  Elfrida  very  much. 

By  this  time  their  vast  libations  had  begun 
to  take  effect,  and  would  have  sent  under  the 
table  long  ere  this  less  experienced  drinkers. 
Many  of  the  guests,  no  doubt,  on  returning 
home  found  the  streets  very  narrow  and  the 
walls  very  unsteady. 


58  CARINE. 

When  they  had  all  gone,  Tegner,  whose 
tongue  was  a  little  thicker  than  usual,  said  in 
that  deep  grave  voice  in  which  a  man  speaks 
after  drinking,  "Where  then  is  Carine?  " 

"She  is  in  her  room,"  replied  his  wife, 
coldly,  who  during  dinner  had  drunk  nothing 
but  water. 

Elfrida  looked  toward  her  mother,  but  said 
nothing.  As  for  Tegner,  he  arose,  not  without 
leaning  heavily  on  the  arm  of  his  chair,  and 
went  into  the  other  room. 


"Who  is-  this  Carine?"  Marius  asked  him- 
self, entering  his  chamber  after  his  host  had 
wished  him  "  Good-night  and  golden  dreams." 
"  Is  there  then  a  tragedy  being  played  in  this 
patriarchal  family?  Am  I  at  the  entrance  of 
a  mystery  of  Udolpho?  This  frank  and  honest 
appearing  father,  is  he  an  ogre,  with  an  appe- 
tite for  human  flesh,  and  to  whom  is  served 
infants  for  supper?  The  austere  Brigette,  this 
shy  Puritan,  does  she  conceal  under  an  aspect 
of  piety  a  cruel  nature,  persecuting  innocence 


6o  CARINE. 

and  tyrannizing  over  weakness?  and,  last,  this 
pretty  Elfrida,  —  does  she  get  her  rosy  cheeks 
only  by  sucking  hum^  blood?  Is  she  a 
vampire  ?  And  for  the  unlucky  stranger  whose 
evil  star  has  led  him  into  this  house,  ought  he 
to  barricade  his  room,  bolt  the  door,  and  put 
some  loaded  pistols  near  his  bed  before  sleep- 
ing? Come,"  said  he,  "all  this  is  absurd! 
How  do  I  know  who  this  Carine  is  ?  She  may 
be  a  nervous  aunt,  a  cousin  in  disgrace,  or 
some  unfortunate  girl.  I  will  not  bother  my 
head  with  the  affairs  of  others.  Behold,  a 
voyage  begun  under  happy  auspices,  and  my 
first  day  in  Sweden  has  been  well  occupied." 

Marius  then  looked  at  his  watch  for  the 
tenth  time  that  day  (he  was  becoming  me- 
thodical like  his  host),  and  was  astonished  to 
find  that  it  was  past  eleven.  It  was  still  day- 
light, and  he  thought  that  if  he  went  to  bed  he 
could  not  sleep  a  wink,  as  he  was  not  accus- 
tomed to  sleep  by  daylight.  So  he  took  out 
his   sketch-book   and    began   to    sketch    from 


CARINE.  6 1 

memory  a  beautiful  tree  he  had  noticed  during 
his  morning  ramble.  He  went  vigorously  to 
work  ;  but  like  the  oaks  and  the  laurels  of  the 
forest  of  Armida,  the  tree  opened  its  trunk  to 
reveal  a  female  form ;  its  branches  became 
beautiful  arms,  and  its  spreading  roots  changed 
to  little  feet.  The  head  only  was  always  lost 
in  the  leaves ;  and  if  the  beautiful  Elfrida  her- 
self had  been  looking  over  his  shoulder  she 
could  not  have  accused  his  crayons  of  im- 
pertinence. 

Suddenly  Marius  threw  down  his  work,  like 
an  unfinished  essay  unworthy  to  see  light. 
"This  champagne  is  no  good,"  cried  he; 
"  it  is  not  true  Cliquot,  but  a  detestable  imi- 
tation. My  hands  tremble,  my  face  is  flushed, 
and  I  feel  horribly.  This  cooking  with  so 
much  red  pepper  burns  my  very  entrails ;  I 
am  always  drinking  to  quench  my  thirst,  and 
as  the  proverb  says,  '  Who  has  drunk  will 
drink.'  "  He  then  poured  out  a  glass  of  fresh 
water,  took  off  his  dress-coat  and  put  on  a 


62  CARINE. 

soft  shooting-jacket  that  he  usually  wore  in  his 
studio,  rolled  a  cigarette  deftly  between  his 
fingers,  and  opened  the  window. 

The  sky  was  of  a  deep  blue,  and  the  light 
of  infinite  softness.  The  eye  travelled  far  in 
the  distance.  For  Marius,  who  was  accustomed 
to  the  brilliant  southern  sun,  this  was  delightful, 
and  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  charm  of  the 
northern  sky,  so  blue  and  opaline.  Nervous, 
like  all  artists,  sensitive  as  a  woman,  accessible 
to  all  the  impressions  of  the  exterior  world, 
his  feelings  were  instantly  touched  with  an 
ineffable  tenderness,  which  closed  around  him. 
This  calm,  this  silence,  this  delicious  air,  these 
ethereal  lights  that  softly  bathed  the  sleeping 
earth, — all  this  aroused  his  inmost  being.  His 
window  opened  from  the  floor  on  a  large 
balcony,  which  commanded  a  beautiful  and 
extensive  view  of  the  mountains.  He  leaned 
his  elbows  on  the  iron  railing  of  the  balcony, 
near  which  he  had  rolled  his  arm-chair,  and 
looked   at   the   beautiful   landscape   which  lay 


CARINE.  63 

before  him.  Then  perceiving  that  the  bal- 
cony ran  around  the  house,  and  made  what 
the  architects  call  a  retour  (Tequerre,  he 
advanced  toward  the  part  which  overlooked 
the  flower  garden.  But  at  the  moment  when 
he  turned  the  corner  which  separated  one 
fa9ade  from  the  other,  he  was  struck  with  as- 
tonishment ;  for  at  the  entrance  to  a  bower 
formed  by  clematis  and  hop-vines,  whose 
climbing  shoots  were  interlaced  around  some 
pine-trees  (forming  a  natural  bower),  he  saw 
a  woman  !  She  was  so  motionless  that  she 
might  have  been  taken  for  a  beautiful  statue. 
Leaning  on  the  massive  trunk  of  a  linden -tree, 
her  chin  in  her  left  hand,  her  bare  right  arm 
falling  its  full  length,  one  foot  advanced, 
her  head  bent  as  if  listening,  —  one  would 
have  said  that  she  listened  with  all  the  forces 
of  her  being,  and  that  not  the  slightest  noise 
floating  in  the  air  could  escape  her.  But 
reassured  by  the  silence  and  calm  which 
reigned  around  her,   she  started  forward,  and 


64  CARINE. 

coming  out  of  the  shadow  entered  into  the 
full  light.  Marius,  who  had  an  artist's  eye, 
could  see  her  perfectly,  as  in  daytime. 

She  was  a  young  girl,  who  seemed  to  be 
about  eighteen  years  old ;  she  was  not  quite 
so  tall  as  Elfrida,  and  she  did  not  seem  to  have 
the  force  or  the  vigor  of  the  blooming  maiden 
who  had  only  that  morning  welcomed  him 
as  her  father's  guest.  This  maiden  appeared 
delicate  almost  to  weakness ;  she  was  slender, 
frail,  and  pliable  as  a  reed,  and  as  easily 
broken.  The  distance  did  not  as  yet  permit 
Marius  to  distinguish  her  features  very  clearly, 
but  they  appeared  to  be  small  and  regular. 
She  was  bareheaded,  and  her  blond  tresses 
fell  over  her  shoulders  in  a  golden  cloud  near- 
ly to  her  feet.  She  wore  a  strange  costume, 
with  which  he  was  not  fomiliar.  It  was  that 
of  the  Dalecarlia  fisherwomen,  who  perform 
at  Stockholm  (the  Venice  of  the  North)  the 
same  office  that  the  gondoliers  there  per- 
form on  the  grand  canal,  and  in  the  lagoons 


CARINE.  65 

of  the   beautiful   and  unfortunate  city  of  the 
Adriatic. 

Marius,  charmed  with  this  adventure,  re- 
mained immovable  and  mute.  He  scarcely 
breathed,  so  fearful  was  he  of  frightening  away 
this  lovely  vision ;  and  he  remained  so  closely 
pressed  against  the  wall  that  he  looked  like  a 
bas-relief  set  in  Tegner's  house.  The  young  girl 
took  a  few  steps  in  the  direction  of  the  garden- 
walk,  then  paused,  and  seemed  to  sink  into  a 
deep  revery;  she  remained  some  time  in  this 
position,  the  soft  light  enveloping  her  form, 
and  enabling  Marius  to  examine  her  more  at- 
tentively than  he  had  yet  done.  Completely 
assured  that  she  was  alone,  the  lovely  phantom 
shook  back  her  floating  hair,  then  advanced 
into  the  garden  and  paused  beside  a  bed 
of  pansies  and  forget-me-nots,  —  those  little 
blue  flowers  that  the  Germans  have  made  the 
emblem  of  remembrance.  She  seated  herself 
almost  opposite  the  balcony  where  the  young 
man  was  concealed  behind  a  pillar.  This  time 
5 


66  CARINE. 

the  artist  could  contemplate  the  apparition  at 
his  ease,  and  almost  as  well  as  if  she  had  been 
in  the  drawing-room. 

The  young  girl  was  indeed  charming,  despite 
an  expression  of  profound  melancholy  im- 
printed on  her  youthful  features.  Danglade. 
enthusiastic  as  a  poet,  never  remembered  hav- 
ing seen  before  a  face  so  beautiful  and  be- 
witching. All  her  movements  were  as  graceful 
as  a  wild  fawn's,  like  one  who  had  always  lived 
near  Nature,  and  far  from  the  world.  She  was 
occupied  in  arranging  the  flowers  she  had  just 
plucked.  With  great  care  she  assorted  the 
colors  and  combined  the  shades ;  her  task  was 
absorbing,  and  she  gave  it  her  undivided  atten- 
tion. Marius  followed  the  motion  of  her  light 
fingers,  —  now  breaking  off  the  stalks,  now 
pruning  the  leaves,  and  arranging  the  flowers 
with  exquisite  taste.  The  oblique  light  struck 
her  face,  and  brought  out  in  strong  relief  her 
beautiful  head,  so  purely  modelled,  and  her 
low  broad  forehead,  white  as  the  newly  fallen 


CARINE.  67 

snow  ;  and  under  her  snowy  brow,  under  the 
long  dark  eyelashes,  her  eyes,  which  she  raised 
several  times  to  the  heavens,  had  the  dark-blue 
tint  of  wet  violets.  Her  profile  was  poetic, 
correct,  and  fine,  and  had  the  ideal  pallor  of 
marble. 

■  Upon  a  man  like  Marius,  easily  exalted  and 
prompt  to  admire,  such  a  vision  at  such  an 
hour  and  under  singularly  romantic  conditions, 
naturally  produced  a  lively  impression.  Mute, 
immovable,  retaining  almost  breathless  all  his 
soul  in  his  eyes,  which  he  could  not  detach 
from  this  beautiful  face,  he  contemplated  the 
little  scene  with  that  profound  and  absorbing 
attention  which  engraves  forever  such  scenes 
on  the  memory. 

Soon  the  young  girl  arose ;  her  task  was 
finished.  Perhaps  the  chill  of  the  night  had 
fallen  on  her,  for  a  slight  tremor  shook  her 
frail  form.  For  a  moment  she  stood  still ; 
then  she  looked  at  her  bouquet,  untied  the 
ribbon  with  which  it  was  fastened,  and  separat- 


68  CARINE. 

ing  the  flowers  she  had  just  arranged  with  so 
much  patience  and  care  she  threw  them  into 
the  deep  fohage  near  her.  Then  brushing  back 
a  long  curl  which  had  fallen  over  her  brow,  she 
gave  a  furtive  glance  around  her,  and  hearing 
a  window  open  and  a  voice  calling,  "  Carina  ! 
Carina  ! "  she  ran  across  the  walk  and  entered 
the  house. 


i4|)rer  "VL 


Marius  looked  longingly  after  her ;  then 
lightly  recrossed  the  balcony  and  returned  to 
his  room  without  having  attracted  any  one's 
attention. 

Safe  in  his  chamber,  Marius  was  more  agi- 
tated and  perplexed  than  ever.  Nevertheless, 
he  had  seen  Carine  !  This  name  which  had 
so  interested  him,  and  of  which  he  had  been 
dreaming  all  day,  did  not  belong  to  an  ugly 
old  woman,  but  to  the  most  charming  creature 
he  had  ever  seen.      Carine  was  a  young  and 


70  CARINE. 

lovely  girl ;  she  lived  under  the  same  roof, 
near  him,  —  perhaps  she  was  in  the  next  room  ! 
But  who  was  she?  Was  she  Elfrida's  sister. 
Monsieur  Tegner's  daughter?  Was  she  a 
stranger  sheltered  by  this  benevolent  Tegner? 
Was  she  a  culpable  child,  under  punishment? 
This  seclusion  to  which  she  was  condemned, 
was  it  voluntary?  All  these  and  many  more 
questions  he  asked  himself.  His  very  soul  was 
agitated  with  the  intense  ardor  of  his  youthful 
nature,  yet  he  could  not  solve  the  problem. 
I  do  not  believe  he  slept  much  that  night ;  but 
I  do  know  that  never  before  had  he  had  such 
dreams. 

The  next  morning  he  awoke  early,  and 
quickly  dressing  himself  descended  into  the 
garden.  As  yet  the  whole  household  slept. 
All  was  fresh  and  quiet ;  indeed,  the  air  was 
so  clear  and  invigorating  that  it  acted  like  wine 
upon  our  hero's  spirits.  He  seated  himself 
on  the  same  bench  where  the  night  before  he 
had  seen  Carine  (it  seemed  natural  for  him  to 


CARINE. 


71 


prefer  the  seat  she  had  so  long  occujjied)  ; 
then  making  sure  that  he  was  alone,  he  entered 
the  thicket,  and  bending,  picked  up  some  of  the 
flowers  scattered  here  and  there  by  the  lovely 
vision  of  the  night.  Calmer  now,  and  his  head 
refreshed  by  the  sweet  morning  breeze,  Marius 
returned  to  his  room,  threw  himself  dressed 
on  the  bed,  and  fell  into  a  profound  sleep. 

Our  hero  awoke  a  little  late,  and  remem- 
bering his  host's  hobby  about  being  punctual, 
made  a  hasty  toilet,  not  wishing  to  injure  the 
best  regulated  stomach  in  Gothenburg,  and  was 
rewarded  by  entering  the  dining-room  one  quar- 
ter of  a  second  before  Tegner,  —  who  believed 
that  he  paid  his  young  guest  an  unequalled  ♦ 
compliment  by  telling  him  that  he  had  never 
met  a  watch  or  a  Frenchman  who  kept  time 
better  than  he.  Marius  was  not  endowed  with 
extreme  penetration,  but  he  could  not  help 
seeing  a  cloud  on  the  face  of  the  honest  mer- 
chant ;  for  after  wishing  him  good-morning 
vcBy  cordially,  Tegner  seemed  to  pay  no  further 


72  CARINE. 

attention  to  the  young  man  for  some  time,  but 
walked  up  and  down  the  large  room  with  his 
hands  crossed  behind  his  back,  seeming  to  be 
thinking  out  or  trying  to  solve  some  difficult 
problem.  He  even  went  once  or  twice  to  the 
vestibule,  then  to  the  street  door,  and  also  to 
the  one  that  led  to  the  garden,  as  if  looking  for 
some  one.  At  last,  seeing  that  it  was  nearly 
ten  o'clock,  and  that  the  majestic  Ulrica,  with 
an  important  and  busy  air,  beg^n  to  lay  the 
warm  plates  on  the  table,  Monsieur  Tegner 
armed  himself  with  a  sudden  resolution,  and 
taking  his  guest's  arm  silently  invited  him  to 
join  his  promenade.  After  a  moment  of  silence 
he  coughed  and  said,  — 

"  I  have  only  known  you  since  yesterday ; 
nevertheless,  it  seems  to  me  that  we  are  old 
frielids,  and  I  feel  a  confidence  in  you.  I 
believe  that  we  are  destined  to  pass  some  time 
together,  and  you  will  do  me  a  favor  if  you  will 
look  on  this  house  as  your  own.  It  is  better, 
therefore,  that   I   should  apprise  you  of  some- 


CARINE.  73 

thing  that  you  are  certahi  to  find  out  sooner  or 
later  for  yourself." 

After  saying  this,  Tegner  was  silent  for  a 
moment;  but  as  Marius  said  nothing,  he 
coughed   once    or   twice   and   continued. 

"You  already  know,"  said  he  in  a  low  voice, 
"  my  wife  and  my  daughter ;  but  Elfrida  and 
Madame  Tegner  are  not  all  of  my  family  ;  you 
will  see  another  person.  If  in  her  words  or 
actions  you  remark  anything  singular,  you  will 
do  well  to  take  no  notice  of  it  whatever." 

Marius  was  visibly  agitated  by  these  words ; 
he  made  a  gesture  of  assent  and  replied,  "  This 
person  —  you  call  her  Carine,  I  believe?  " 

"Ah,  you  know  her  name? " 

"  Did  you  not  mention  it  before  me  twice 
yesterday  at  table  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  believe  I  did.  Well,  Carine  is 
not—  " 

M.  Karl  Johan  Tegner  did  not  have  time  to 
finish  his  sentence ;  for  just  then  the  door 
opened,    and    Madame    Tegner    entered    the 


74  CA  RINE. 

room,  followed  by  two  young  girls.  The  first 
was  Elfrida,  with  whom  Marius  already  felt  well 
acquainted,  and  who  greeted  him  cordially, 
giving  him  her  hand,  which  Marius  pressed 
gently  a  r Anglais.  (Our  ancestors  kissed  the 
hand  of  lovely  woman;  we  shake  it!)  The 
other  girl,  who  seemed  to  be  a  year  or  two 
younger  than  Elfrida,  kept  a  little  behind  Ma- 
dame Tegner,  —  it  seemed  as  if  she  wished  to 
hide  in  her  shadow.  The  merchant  hesitated 
a  little  before  presenting  her  to  his  guest ;  then 
taking  her  by  the  hand  said  simply,  ''  Carine," 
without  other  designation. 

Marius  had  already  recognized  the  lovely 
nocturnal  vision ;  but  he  had  only  seen  her  the 
night  before  at  a  certain  distance,  and  could 
not  now  refrain  from  looking  at  her  with  much 
curiosity,  —  which  did  not  surprise  Monsieur 
Tegner,  as  he  attributed  it  to  his  previous 
remarks,  as  well  as  to  the  singular  though 
picturesque  dress  worn  by  Carine.  She  wore 
the  Dalecarlian  costume,  which  was  so  striking 


CARINE.  75 

and  peculiar  that,  thought  the  honest  Tegner, 
an  artist  would  naturally  examine  it  with  atten- 
tion. As  for  Elfrida,  she  followed  with  an 
interest  no  less  lively  the  impressions  which 
successively  manifested  themselves  on  the  mo- 
bile and  frank  countenance  of  the  artist  j  but 
Marius,  feeling  himself  thus  observed,  immedi- 
ately threw  over  his  face  an  impenetrable  mask, 
promising  himself,  however,  to  lose  no  occasion 
whatever  of  continuing  his  observations. 

As  for  the  lovely  inconnue,  she  bowed  to  the 
stranger,  in  whom  she  took  no  interest,  with 
an  air  of  perfect  indifference ;  and  without  fur- 
ther notice  or  thought  of  him,  she  seated  her- 
self at  what  seemed  to  be  her  accustomed  place 
at  the  table,  at  the  left  of  Monsieur  Tegner. 

Marius  was  not  only  an  artist,  he  was  a  man 
of  the  world,  used  to  the  best  society.  He 
understood  instantly  that  he  was  in  a  difficult 
position;  that  every  one  was  restless,  and  that 
his  presence  aggravated  this  feeling.  Indeed, 
he  mentally  resolved  to  beat  a  quiet  retreat  as 


76  CARINE. 

soon  as  possible ;  but  for  the  present  he  must 
not  appear  ill  at  ease  or  constrained,  thereby 
annoying  his  entertainers.  Therefore  he  drew 
on  all  his  resources  of  wit  and  good-humor  :  he 
made  gay  and  witty  speeches ;  he-  ex])lained 
the  theory  of  the  bouillabaisse  to  Tegner,  ap- 
ropos to  a  certain  sauce  served  with  the  trout ; 
he  talked  religion  with  the  austere  Brigette,  and 
discussed  the  latest  Parisian  fashions  with  El- 
frida;  he  even  tried  to  attract  Carine's  atten- 
tion, but  was  finally  obliged  to  admit  to  himself 
that  the  beautiful  unknown  had  not  even  the 
slightest  suspicion  of  his  intentions.  Once  or 
twice,  however,  if  he  had  observed  her  more 
closely,  he  might  have  seen  a  faint  smile  ap- 
pear at  the  corners  of  her  lips  without  daring 
to  spread  on  her  serious  mouth.  He  was  al- 
most sure  that  she  understood  French  as  well 
as  the  rest  of  the  family ;  for  while  the  Norwe- 
gian, forgetful  of  France,  turns  more  and  more 
to  the  side  of  England,  the  Swede  remains 
faithful  to  our  language  and  literature.     Once, 


CARTNE.  77 

for  an  instant,  Marius  thought  he  caught  the 
eye  of  this  dreamer ;  but  she  turned  her  head 
quickly,  and  dropped  her  eyeUds  promptly,  — 
not  soon  enough,  however,  for  the  artist 
had  time  to  look  into  her  soul,  where  he 
divined  a  profound  sadness.  During  the  re- 
mainder of  the  time  the  young  girl  appeared 
entirely  indifferent  to  all  that  passed  around 
her ;  and  our  hero,  fearing  to  annoy  the  family, 
appeared  not  to  notice  her.  He  profited  how- 
ever by  the  revery  into  which  she  sank  to  ad- 
mire her  natural  elegance  and  exquisite  grace, 
which  greatly  enhanced  her  beauty  ;  he  found  an 
infinite  charm  in  her  profound  and  fleeting  air 
of  sadness,  and  in  her  delicate  and  transparent 
complexion.  She  seemed  a  maiden  expressly 
created  to  love  and  to  suffer.  Although  she 
had  spoken  but  few  words,  her  voice  seemed 
to  Marius  to  possess  a  depth  of  timbre,  and  at 
the  same  time  it  was  melodious,  penetrating, 
and  pure;  even  when  she  spoke  softly,  this 
charming  voice  had  that  peculiar  sympathetic 


78  CARINE. 

quality  which  is  so  rare  that  one  can  describe 
it  only  in  a  word,  voix  sympathique,  and  the 
sound  seemed  to  come  from  afar.  Marius 
noticed  in  the  maiden  an  air  of  dejection ;  and 
she  looked  so  very  frail  and  spirit-like  that 
it  seemed  as  if  she  said  in  a  low  voice,  "  Do 
not  approach  me,  for  a  great  misfortune  has 
happened  to  me,  and  I  am  as  one  apart !  " 

Thanks  to  the  unheard  of  efforts  made  by 
Marius  to  keep  up  the  conversation,  the  ice 
was  broken ;  one  felt  no  longer  constrained, 
and  they  all  seemed  to  wish  to  atone  to  their 
guest  for  the  temporary  coldness  which  had 
prevailed.  Tegner  was  radiant,  for  he  had 
feared  that  this  gloom  might  impair  his  diges- 
tion, and  his  usual  beaming  smile  appeared 
on  his  face  when  his  dear  Elfrida  prepared 
his  tea  as  of  old.  Carine,  who  had  not  even 
tasted  the  wine  or  beer,  drinking  only  water, 
now  quietly  left  the  room,  and  seemed  to 
carry  with  her  the  last  trace  of  anxiety  and 
apprehension ;    for   she    had  done    nothing    to 


CARINE. 


79 


justify   their   fears,    and  a  general    feeling    of 
relief  prevailed. 

After  breakfast  Marius  took  his  sketch-book 
and  wandered  out  into  the  country,  under  the 
pretext  of  study ;  his  real  motive  was  a  desire 


to  be  alone.  Was  he  truly  alone  in  the  midst 
of  this  Nature,  so  grand,  rugged,  and  melan- 
choly ;  these  mountains  covered  with  heather, 
and  these  granite  rocks  crowned  with  the  eter- 
nal verdure  of  the  firs?  Did  he  not  carry  with 
him  an  image,  which  time  had  hardly  as  yet 
graven  on  his  soul,  but  which  passed  and  re- 


8o  CARINE. 

passed  before  his  eyes?  This  question  he 
alone  can  answer.  All  that  we  as  his  historian 
know,  is  that  until  now  he  had  only  known  one 
type  of  beauty.  —  that  of  the  southern  bru- 
nette, with  dark  complexion,  brown  eyes,  hair 
black  as  ebony,  or  lustrous  blue-black  like 
a  raven's  wing.  God  forbid  that  'I  should 
decry  the  beauty  of  the  women  of  Marseilles  ! 
There  are  many  families  in  Marseilles  where 
this  peculiar  type  of  beauty  is  a  heritage  from  a 
remote  ancestry.  The  splendor  of  their  orien- 
tal charms  is  rarely  outdone  elsewhere  in  Eu- 
rope ;  at  least  nowhere  can  be  found  such 
perfect  mouths,  such  pure  profiles,  or  brews  so 
finely  modelled,  —  in  a  word,  living  heads 
resembling  so  faithfully  the  immortal  beauty  of 
the  statues  and  medallions  of  Sicily  and  Greece. 
But  brilliant  as  is  brunette  beauty,  it  has  only 
one  note ;  and  when  one  has  sufficiently  sung 
of  it,  one  remembers  that  the  scale  complete 
has  seven  notes,  without  counting  the  sharps 
and  flats. 


CARINE.  8 1 

Independently  of  this  prestige  of  the  un- 
known, so  full  of  seduction  for  a  nature  young 
and  susceptible  to  all  the  emotions  of  life, 
Carine  was  for  Marius  a  revelation,  —  a  revela- 
tion of  the  blond  type,  which  was  that  of  Eve, 
of  Venus,  and  of  Helen  of  Troy,  and  of  almost 
all  the  celebrated  heroines  which  artists  and 
poets  have  made  immortal.  She  was  also  to 
him  a  revelation  of  northern  beauty,  which 
appeals  more  to  the  soul  than  to  the  senses,  — 
so  pure  that  it  seems  immaterial,  like  the  icy 
glaciers  which  are  at  the  same  time  cold  and 
brilliant,  and  which  give  to  the  lakes  in  which 
they  are  reflected  their  limpidity  and  trans- 
parency. At  home  Marius  had  been  so  occu- 
pied with  his  art  that  he  had  no  place  for  other 
seductions,  and  this  was  the  first  time  his  soul 
had  been  aroused.  He  thought  of  Carine's 
beautiful  face,  her  rosy  lips,  her  perfect  mouth, 
her  snowy,  satin-like  complexion,  her  long  light 
hair,  fine  as  spun  silk  and  golden  as  amber. 
Would  she  ever  think  of  him  ?  Alas  !  he  feared 
6 


82 


not ;  she  had  not  even  looked  at  him  !  He 
wished  to  be  alone ;  he  had  wished  to  plunge 
even  into  the  bosom  of  the  mountain,  to  be 
alone  all  this  long  day  under  the  shadow  of  the 
firs  and  beeches.  He  desired  to  be  far  away 
from  the  world,  and  for  a  week  or  two  to  flee 
from  Tegner,  Elfrida,  and  Carine  herself,  to 
commune  with  his  own  soul  and  with  Nature. 
At  last  he  tried  to  think  of  something  else ; 
and  as  his  was  a  brave  nature,  he  courageously 
aroused  himself,  took  his  brushes,  worked 
with  ardor,  and  made  a  study  which  occupied 
half  the  day.  "  He  who  labors  suffers  not ;  " 
"activity  of  spirit  makes  sentiment  sleep;" 
and  his  heart  had  an  intermission.  But  when 
his  work  was  finished,  and  he  was  closing  his 
portfolio,  he  said  to  himself,  "  If  she  only 
loved  painting ! "  Then  he  hastened  to  re- 
turn to  the  city,  bounding  like  a  chamois 
over  the  crevices  in  the  rocks.  When  he 
saw  the  houses  of  the  city  his  chest  heaved, 
and  he  paused.     "  Down  there,"  said  he,  look- 


CARINE.  83 

ing  at  Tegner's  house,  — "  it  is  there  she 
lives  !  " 

They  dined  that  day  en  famille.  No  one 
came,  to  our  hero's  great  joy ;  for  he  felt  quite 
incapable  of  carrying  on  a  pohte  conversation 
with  strangers,  answering  questions  as  to  "  how 
he  liked  Sweden,"  and  if  he  "  expected  to 
remain  long."  The  weather  was  warm,  the 
evening  charming.  After  dinner  Tegner  pro- 
posed a  walk  in  the  country ;  but  his  wife,  who 
soon  retired  to  say  her  prayers,  pleaded  fatigue, 
and  they  remained  in  the  garden. 

It  was  a  very  pleasant,  quaint  old  garden,  but 
rather  small,  like  all  city  gardens.  When  they 
had  sufficiently  surveyed  its  length  and  breadth, 
Tegner,  who  was  no  walker,  seated  himself  on 
the  marble  bench  where  Carine,  the  preced- 
ing night,  had  remained  so  long.  This  was 
near  the  house,  opposite  a  beautiful  porphyry 
vase,  which  although  not  quite  so  large  as 
that  of  Rosendal  (which  is  the  special  ad- 
miration    of   all    visitors    at    Stockholm)    was 


84  CARINE. 

no  less  worthy  of   figuring   in    the    park  of  a 
prince. 

No  one  talked,  and  each  individual  seemed 
plunged  in  revery.  Does  not  melancholy  seem 
the  natural  attribute  of  certain  hours?  The 
three  women  were  seated  in  rustic  chairs,  the 
men  at  each  end  of  the  bench.  By  chance 
Marius  was  placed  near  Carine.  He  greatly 
desired  to  speak  to  her,  but  a  certain  respectful 
fear  withheld  him.  It  seemed  as  if  she  was 
enveloped  in  an  atmosphere  of  sadness,  and 
that  it  would  be  almost  a  profanity  to  address 
her  in  the  polite  language  of  society.  Little 
by  little  the  pure  and  chaste  beauty  of  the 
young  Swede  had  calmed  the  ardor  of  his 
southern  blood ;  he  wished  to  respect  this  snow 
maiden.  Looking  down  he  perceived  in  the 
grass  at  his  feet  a  tuft  of  withered  myosotis 
and  a  sprig  of  thyme,  —  waifs  from  the  bouquet 
of  the  past  evening.  He  picked  them  up  and 
inhaled  their  perfume,  —  for  even  when  crushed 
certain    flowers    retain    their    sweetness;    and 


CARINE.  85 

when  he  was  certain  that  he  had  attracted 
Carine's  attention  he  turned  to  her  quickly,  and 
showing  her  the  flowers,  pointed  to  the  bal- 
cony that  had  served  for  an  observatory.  Her 
hands  trembled,  and  she  blushed  deeply.  It 
was  the  first  sign  of  emotion  that  he  had 
observed  in  her  \  however,  it  was  promptly 
repressed,  and  an  instant  after  Marius  had  only 
an  alabaster  statue  at  his  side. 

Soon  after  this  they  withdrew  to  the  drawing- 
room  to  wait  the  tea-hour,  —  of  which  our 
worthy  host  made  a  veritable  lunch  with  all 
sorts  of  comfortable  and  savory  accompani- 
ments. 


The  place  to  see  the  Swedes  at  their  best  is 
in  the  drawing-room.  In  general  this  room 
much  resembles  that  of  the  English,  —  little 
luxury,  little  useless  superfluities,  and  not  so 
many  of  those  cumbersome  curiosities  with 
which  our  ladies  cover  their  tables,  overload 
their  mantelpieces,  and  weigh  down  their 
etageres,  but  everywhere  comfort  and  an  ele- 
gant simplicity.  At  Madame  Tegner's  it  was 
easily  to  be  seen  that  this  room  was  the  sanctu- 
ary of  intimate    home-life.     It  was   there  that 


OO  CARINE. 

you  found  your  favorite  friends  and  books,  — 
books  which  you  could  read  to  the  family,  and 
which  one  loved  to  re-read  alone.  The 
embroidery  frame,  the  work-box,  the  half- 
finished  tapestry,  and  in  one  corner  the  open 
piano,  —  all  proclaimed  the  home.  On  the 
piano  were  scattered  loose  pieces  of  music, 
many  of  which  were  the  national  airs,  which 
are  so  popular  in  Sweden.  The  Swedish 
women  give  themselves  up  to  domestic  cares 
with  much  activity  and  vigilance.  They  love 
needlework  no  less  than  instructive  reading ; 
and,  endowed  with  a  most  happy  aptitude, 
they  soon  acquire  a  relative  superiority  in  the 
fine  arts.  Marius  soon  perceived  this,  and  he 
wondered  that  he  had  known  so  little  of  the 
customs  of  these  fair  women  of  the  North- 
land. 

The  twilight  shadows  fell,  and  the  lamps 
were  brought  in,  the  windows  draped  with  long 
heavy  curtains  which  fell  to  the  floor,  shutting 
out  the  uncertain  light  which  prevailed  at  that 


CARINE.  89 

_ — — ^ 

hour,  and  which  is  all  the  darkness  —  if  it 
can  be  called  darkness  —  which  they  have  in 
Sweden  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Tegner 
seated  himself  in  a  vast  arm-chair,  and  the 
three  women  sat  near  the  table  sewing.  The 
artist  approached  a  small  stand  on  which  were 
several  French  novels  and  illustrated  journals 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  ;  he  tried  to  read, 
or  rather  he  looked  at  the  pictures,  while  the 
ladies  worked  and  Monsieur  Tegner  twirled  his 
thumbs. 

These  quiet  hours  passed  in  the  bosom  of 
the  family  in  peacefulness,  embellished  by  all 
the  charming  sociability,  and  by  the  graces 
for  which  the  Swedish  women  are  particularly 
noted,  and  which  renders  Sweden  so  dear  to 
foreigners,  seemed  delightful  to  this  child  of 
the  South.  It  was  a  great  contrast  to  the  bril- 
liant and  animated  outdoor  life  of  Provence. 
Marius  felt  himself  living  in  a  more  serene 
atmosphere  than  he  had  yet  known.  Madame 
Tegner  herself —  stiff,  awkward,  and  constrained 


90  CARINE. 

before  the  world  —  here  found  herself  in  her 
natural  element.  She  harmonized  well  with  the 
objects  which  surrounded  her.  She  was  a 
woman  of  the  North,  severe  but  good,  reserved 
to  strangers,  and  profoundly  devoted  to  her 
family ;  and  was  on  close  acquaintance  always 
loved  by  those  who  had  at  first  feared  her.  El- 
frida  worked  with  great  attention  a  complicated 
piece  of  tapestry,  which,  however,  did  not  pre- 
vent her  listening  to  the  young  Frenchman's 
accounts  of  his  travels,  and  of  French  life. 
The  merchant,  fatigued  by  his  long  day  of 
business,  and  determined  not  to  impair  his 
digestion  by  troublesome  thoughts,  forgot  when 
he  entered  the  drawing-room  all  business  cares. 
He  was  seated  in  his  enormous  arm-chair, 
which  seemed  made  expressly  to  accommo- 
date his  emdonpoint,  his  hands  crossed  before 
him  over  his  capacious  waistcoat,  saying 
nothing,  thinking  nothing,  and  enjoying  a 
satisfactory  feeling  of  well-being  and  of  vege- 
table life. 


CARINE.  91 

A  little  aside,  deftly  handling  two  large 
netting-needles,  her  long  slender  hands  plunged 
in- the  brown  wool,  her  head  bent,  sat  Carine, 
working  near  a  little  table  by  the  light  of  a 
solar  lamp,  which  enveloped  her  person  in  a 
sort  of  aureola.  Marius  regarded  her  with 
restrained  but  profound  emotion.  In  her  suave 
beauty  he  found  everything  to  satisfy  his  artistic 
taste,  —  the  light  which  dazzles,  the  candor 
which  charms.  His  gaze  went  from  the  lim- 
pid blue  eyes  to  the  soft  golden-blond  hair, 
descended  from  the  head  to  the  sloping  shoul- 
ders, lingered  at  the  waist,  and  followed  the 
undulating  lines  of  her  beautiful  figure.  "  O 
sister  of  Galatea  !  "  thought  he,  "  how  happy 
would  he  be  who  could  animate  thee  by  a 
kiss  !  O  Carine  !  Oh,  if  life's  passions  have 
never  touched  thee,  if  those  lovely  eyes 
have  never  been  illumined  by  the  light  of 
love,  then  wilt  thou  be  transfigured,  adorable 
statue,  and  enchant  all  hearts  that  are  now 
desolate  !  " 


92 


CARINE. 


Monsieur  Tegner  addressed  to  the  young 
girl  several  questions,  to  which  she  replied  in 
monosyllables.  It  was  apparent  that  he  de- 
sired to  break  this  obstinate  silence,  and  to 
draw  her  into  the  general  conversation ;  but 
she  resisted,  and  silently  refused  all  overtures. 
In  speaking  to  her  the  merchant's  voice  was 
affectionate  and  tender ;  it  was  evident  that  his 
regard  for  this  maiden  was  mixed  with  pity.  It 
was  the  same  also  with  Madame  Tegner  and 
Elfrida.  Marius  observed  everything,  and  with 
his  usual  tact  refrained  from  any  attempt  to 
pay  Carine  those  ordinary  attentions  which  are 
customary  between  young  persons  of  opposite 
sexes  in  company,  for  he  saw  that  she  was  timid 
as  a  hind  in  the  deep  forest. 

One  of  the  guests  of  the  preceding  evening, 
the  red-haired  Frederick  Brask,  came  at  nine 
o'clock  to  pay  a  visit  to  Tegner.  His  coming 
brought  a  little  diversion  and  activity  into  this 
home  party,  which  had  begun  to  languish  and 
imperceptibly    feel    the    effect    of    the    cloud 


CARINE.  93 

which  Carine's  melancholy  threw  over  them. 
Elfrida,  seeing  Frederick  enter,  blushed  slightly 
and  made  a  joyful  movement,  which  did  not 
escape  the  artist ;  she  gave  him  her  hand  with 
a  sweet  smile  and  a  good-will  which  rendered 
her  charming.  "Ah,"  thought  Marius,  "  these 
are  lovers  ! " 

After  the  arrival  of  a  new  comer  in  a  little 
circle  there  is  always  a  certain  movement ;  one 
profits  by  it  to  change  his  position  ;  the  group 
disperses  and  re-forms  at  one's  pleasure  :  this 
one  leaves  a  sofa  to  take  an  arm-chair,  that  one 
goes  to  the  table,  another  to  the  piano.  Elfrida 
rang  for  tea,  and  she  made  it  in  the  broad 
window-seat,  a  little  aside  with  Brask,  who 
seemed  perfectly  restored  to  good- humor. 
Marius  arose,  spoke  a  few  words  to  Madame 
Tegner,  then  seated  himself  near  the  little  table 
where  Carine  worked :  then  he  sharpened  a 
pencil,  took  a  piece  of  Bristol  board,  and  began 
to  draw.  The  young  girl  did  not  at  first  seem 
to  notice  what   he  was  doing,  and   continued 


94  CARINE. 

her  monotonous  task  with  her  usual  apathetic 
indifference  to  everything.  At  last  she  noticed 
the  steadiness  with  which  the  stranger  regarded 
her.  Marius  drew  with  an  unequalled  ardor 
and  rapidity ;  he  had  rarely  felt  more  rapture 
and  transport;  a  living  image  seemed  to  be 
created  from  his  fingers.  But  from  time  to 
time  he  raised  his  eyes  and  fixed  them  on 
Carine  in  a  manner  which  was  naturally  em- 
barrassing to  her.  She  seldom  raised  her  eyes ; 
once  or  twice  however  their  eyes  met,  and  find- 
ing those  of  the  stranger  so  ardent,  tenacious, 
and  magnetic,  she  quickly  dropped  her  eyelids ; 
and  if  she  felt  under  this  magnetic  glance  a 
new  emotion,  she  did  not  permit  it  to  be  seen, 
for  not  a  muscle  trembled  on  her  impassable 
visage.  In  the  mean  time  the  work  advanced  ; 
already  the  outline  of  the  delicately  modelled 
forehead  appeared  on  the  paper;  already  one 
could  divine  the  living  expression  under  the 
long  lashes,  and  the  elegant  oval  (a  little  thin 
perhaps)  of  the  face  was  modelled  in  all  its 
classic  purity. 


CARINK.  95 

The  worthy  host,  impatient  because  the  tea 
was  not  yet  served,  arose  and  walked  up  and 
down  the  room.  He  drew  near  the  artist. 
Elfrida  and  Frederick  came  too,  and.^buped 
around  him.  Marius  and  Carine  were  in  the 
centre  of  a  little  curious  group.  The  latter 
endured  with  impatience  the  prolonged  atten- 
tion of  which  she  was  the  object,  and  wished  to 
leave  the  room  ;  but  she  could  not.  She  there- 
fore remained  immovable  and  silent ;  but  her 
hands  trembled,  and  spoke  for  her  by  feverishly 
fingering  the  long  box-wood  needles  with  red 
sealing-wax  heads,  which  moved  only  by  fits 
and  starts.        » 


k^Mir  VUL 


"  Good  heavens  !  what  a  resemblance  !  " 
cried  Tegner,    "it  is  really  striking!" 

"  Yes,"  said  Brask,  "  it  would  be  impossible 
to  make  a  better  portrait.  It  is  Carine  herself ! 
it  is  Carine  !  " 

"  Do  you  think  she  is  as  pretty  as  the  pic- 
ture?" said  Elfrida,  in  a  low  voice  to  the 
young  banker. 

"Oh,  it  is  Carine  !  "  replied  he,  with  more 
frankness  than  gallantry. 
7 


98  CARINE. 

"Yes,  it  is  like  her,"  admitted  Elfrida,  whose 
natural  goodness  overcame  a  little  jealousy. 

Ulrica  and  Gustavus  now  entered  with  the 
tea-trays,  and  the  little  circle  was  broken,  much 
to  Carine's  satisfaction,  who  disliked  to  attract 
attention,  and  preferred  always  to  remain  in 
the  background.  She  did  not  rise,  but  leaned 
toward  the  table ;  at  the  same  time  Marius  held 
his  drawing  up  to  the  light  in  order  to  criticise 
it.  The  original  and  the  copy  thus  confronted 
each  other.  Carine,  who  had  taken  no  notice 
of  the  picture  before,  recognized  her  own  like- 
ness, and  was  struck  with  surprise,  which  she 
betrayed  by  a  quick  gesture  of  her  hands. 
She  opened  her  mouth  as  if  to  exclaim,  but 
suppressed  the  desire ;  then  she  looked  again 
at  the  drawing,  and  at  the  artist  who  had  drawn 
it  so  skilfully,  so  promptly,  and  successfully. 
Her  face  expressed  her  astonishment,  and  also 
perhaps  a  little  grateful  recognition  for  that 
which  he  had  done  so  admirably.  Her  eyes 
glistened,  as  if  tears  arising  from  her  heart  had 


CARINE.  99 

suddenly  moistened  the  eyeballs ;  a  pinkish  hue 
tinted  her  cheeks,  delicate  and  pale  like  the 
leaf  of  a  white  rose,  and  a  light  and  fugitive 
smile  deepened  imperceptibly  the  two  charming 
little  dimples  in  her  cheeks.  All  this,  however, 
was  over  in  an  instant ;  she  drew  herself  up, 
the  smile  disappeared,  she  became  as  cold  as 
marble.  Again  she  was  a  statue  maiden,  im- 
passable and  gloomy. 

Our  hero  at  least  now  knew  that  there  was 
a  woman  within  this  statue,  and  that  perhaps 
he  might  find  there  a  heart  which  would 
respond  to  the  palpitations  of  his  own ;  but 
he  fully  realized  that  he  must  proceed  cau- 
tiously, and  that  it  is  at  all  times  necessary  to 
deal  tenderly  with'  such  delicate  nervous  organi- 
zations. He  finished  with  a  few  strokes  of  his 
pencil  the  picture,  which  he  only  considered  a 
sketch ;  then  he  threw  it  carelessly  on  the  table 
to  show  Carine  that  he  did  not  consider  it  of 
much  importance.  He  then  went  to  receive  a 
cup  of   tea  from   Elfrida,  who  was  doing  the 


lOO  CARINE. 

honors  with  her  accustomed  grace ;  but  he 
could  not  refrain  from  casting  sly  glances  at  the 
lovely  creature  who  always  kept  in  the  back- 
ground. In  a  few  moments,  when  all  seemed 
occupied,  —  Elfrida  with  Brask,  Tegner  with  a 
plate  of  salad,  and  his  wife  with  her  prayer- 
book,  in  which  each  evening  she  read  the 
psalter  for  the  day,  —  Marius,  encouraged  by 
circumstances  which  seemed  favorable,  took  up 
his  sketch  and  approached  Carine. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  my  work  ?  "  said  he. 

The  maiden  seemed  a  little  troubled  by  this 
unexpected  question ;  but  she  replied  quickly, 
without  raising  her  eyes,  "  I  think  you  have 
wasted  your  time.  People  do  not  take  por- 
traits of  the  dead  !  " 

I  do  not  know  which  impressed  Marius  the 
most,  —  this  despairing  reply,  or  the  sound  of 
Carina's  voice.  This  voice  was  of  a  strange 
timbre ;  it  had  the  immaterial  purity  of  crystal, 
and  resounded  like  the  ideal  note  of  a  har- 
monica ;  it  seemed  suited  to  the  angelic  beauty 


CARINE. 


lOI 


of  her  face,   for  human  passions  could   never 
trouble  it. 

Now  that   Marius  had   broken    through  the 
first  barrier  of  reserve,  —  and  with  many  women 


that  is  always  the  most  difficult  thing  to  do,  — 
he  did  not  dream  of  abandoning  the  siege  so 
soon.  "It  seems  to  me,"  said  he,  softly,  "that 
you  are  not  as  dead  as  you  think  you  are  ! " 

"  I  am,"  replied  Carine.     "  I  am  a  hundred 
times  more  dead  than  those  who  sleep  out  there 


I02  CARINE. 

under  the  lindens."  She  alluded  to  the  beau- 
tiful trees  that  threw  their  shadows,  their  mur- 
murings,  and  their  perfume  over  the  graves  in 
the  cemetery  of  Gothenburg. 

"Happy,  then,"  continued  the  artist,  "will 
be  the  one  who  can  make  you  hear  the  trumpet 
of  the  archangel,  and  say  to  you,  taking  your 
hand,  *  Carine,  arise  from  the  dead  !  '  " 

Unconsciously  Marius  had  made  the  ges- 
ture which  would  naturally  accompany  such 
words ;  and  if  he  had  not  blown  the  trumpet, 
his  hand  had  at  least  sought  that  of  Carine. 
But  she  had  hastily  drawn  hers  away,  as  if  the 
contact  had  been  for  her  a  fault  or  a  profanity, 
and  replied,  "  The  archangel  will  not  sound  the 
trumpet  for  or  summon  me,  until  the  day  of 
judgment." 

Marius  was  now  extremely  agitated  ;  his  eyes 
flashed,  and  a  light  of  enthusiasm  illumined  his 
brow.  He  had  never  experienced  such  feelings 
before ;  and  doubtless  he  affected  also  the 
beautiful  Swede,  for  she  seemed  frightened,  not 


CARINE.  103 

daring  to  look  at  this  impetuous  youth  again, 
nor  to  speak  to  him.  She  devoted  her  atten- 
tion closer  than  ever  to  her  work,  and  her  face 
became  as  usual  cold  and  expressionless,  and 
the  gulf  between  them  seemed  deeper  than 
before. 

The  different  time-pieces  struck  ten.  Tegner 
arose,  and  with  characteristic  punctuality  gave 
the  signal  to  retire  by  shaking  hands  with 
Frederick  Brask  and  Marius  Danglade ;  then 
he  turned  down  the  lamps,  and  pulled  back  the 
curtains.  The  twilight  entered  and  filled  the 
apartment  with  misty  shadows.  Brask,  who 
was  serene,  having  been  restored  to  his  usual 
good-humor  by  his  long  tete-a-tcte  with  Elfrida, 
took  leave  of  the  young  Frenchman  with  a 
politeness  almost  affectionate ;  and  after  many 
good  wishes,  each  one  retired. 

Marius,  once  more  in  his  room,  went  to  the 
balcony  and  eagerly  looked  into  the  garden 
below ;  but  the  lovely  vision  of  the  preceding 
night  did  not  appear.     That  vision  seemed  like 


I04  CARINE. 

a  dream ;  and  the  remembrance  of  her  face,  so 
noble  and  so  pure,  so  virginal  and  chaste,  came 
over  him,  and  he  felt  sure  that  a  thought  of  evil 
could  not  exist  before  the  light  of  her  eyes. 
All  his  suspicions  had  vanished,  and  in  their 
place  remained  the  tenderest  sympathy. 


The  days  passed  quietly  by.  One  day 
resembled  another,  and  nothing  important 
occurred  in  the  household  of  mine  host 
Tegner. 

Our  hero  was  feeling  completely  at  home, 
and  as  if  he  was  one  of  the  family.  The 
austere  hostess,  finding  him  to  be  an  honor- 
able young  man,  of  good  habits  and  respectful 
manners,  began  by  tolerating  him,  and  ended 


Io6  CARINE. 

by  really  feeling  for  him  a  warm  friendship. 
Tegner  treated  him  like  a  son.  Elfrida  be- 
haved toward  him  as  if  he  was  her  brother, 
since  she  saw  that  he  had  no  intention  of  mak- 
ing love  to  her.  For  this  amiable  girl  was  sin- 
cerity itself;  she  loved  Frederick  Brask,  and 
did  not  possess  a  shadow  of  real  coquetry. 

As  for  Carine,  she  was  always  the  same. 
This  beautiful  creature,  endowed  with  such 
unusual  attractions,  so  well  calculated  to  love, 
so  worthy  of  being  loved,  seemed  to  live  in  a 
dream,  and  to  be  indifferent  to  everything. 
She  often  remained  for  days  in  her  room,  and 
on  certain  days  it  seemed  as  if  she  redoubled 
her  sadness.  Her  manner  toward  Marius  was 
also  odd ;  sometimes  she  seemed  attracted 
toward  him,  and  took  a  real  interest  in  his 
conversation.  It  is  true  she  never  looked  at 
him  ;  but  when  he  talked,  a  certain  animation 
was  visible,  and  she  was  surprised  to  find  her- 
self listening  with  a  sentiment  which  resembled 
pleasure.     After    having    allowed    herself    this 


CARINE  107 

temporary  relief  from  a  mourning  which  she 
had  no  doubt  sworn  should  be  eternal,  she  fell 
into  a  melancholy  more  profound  than  ever. 
But  at  least  there  was  one  pleasant  result,  — 
the  family  no  longer  remarked  those  strange 
changes  of  humor  which  had  before  been  so 
marked  and  so  disturbing.  The  clouds  were 
lifting  a  little ;  she  was  still  sad  but  not  des- 
pairing ;  she  did  not  talk,  but  she  listened ; 
and  It  was  no  longer  forbidden  for  others  to 
address  her.  Slowly  and  almost  imperceptibly 
she  improved  ;  and  her  friends  dared  hope  one 
day  to  see  her  enter  into  their  common  life, 
and  interest  herself  once  more  in  the  things  of 
this  world. 

Marius  alone  could  not  see  this  improvement, 
perhaps  because  he  had  not  known  her  so  long 
as  the  others,  and  was  also  too  impatient. 
From  the  first  time  he  had  seen  her,  he  had 
fell  for  the  lovely  unfortunate  a  profound  inter- 
est ;  soon  that  interest  was  changed  to  tender- 
ness ;  little  by  little,  without  being  conscious  of 


I08  CARINE. 

the  change,  the  tenderness  had  become  love, 
and  the  love  a  profound  passion,  - —  more  in- 
tense, perhaps,  because  hopeless.  It  seemed 
to  him  that  a  bottomless  gulf  separated  Carine 
from  the  love  of  any  man.  He  understood  all 
this ;  but  instead  of  turning  him  from  his  pur- 
pose, this  almost  unsurmountable  difficulty  only 
made  him  more  determined  to  vanquish  all 
obstacles,  and  overcome  fate  itself.  Very  soon 
this  passion,  which  seemed  to  grow  rapidly, 
took  such  possession  of  him  that  he  became 
melancholy  and  almost  ill.  He  would  have 
given  half  his  life  to  penetrate  with  a  ray  of 
light  this  soul,  so  closed  and  so  obscure;  and 
seeing  that  he  could  not,  his  heart  was  wounded 
sorely.  Like  the  wounded  stag,  he  fled  to  the 
forest  depths ;  he  explored  the  beautiful  coun- 
try that  surrounded  the  city ;  he  was  always  on 
the  mountains  or  in  the  valleys ;  he  often  left 
the  house  before  daybreak,  under  pretext  of 
interesting  explorations  of  the  magnificent 
country,   or   of  curious   studies,   and   did   not 


CARINE. 


109 


return  until  late  at  night.  On  those  days  he 
saw  no  one  ;  but  he  carried  with  him  every- 
where the  dear  image,  which  peopled  for  him 
the  solitude.  When  he  was  thus  far  from  men, 
far  from  her,  he,  if  possible,  loved  her  better; 
then  he  spoke  to  her  and  she  replied  to  him. 


and  he  carried  on  imaginary  conversations,  and 
every  day  found  himself  more  deeply  in  love. 
The  solitude  at  such  times  was  restful,  and  he 
was  content.  At  other  times,  on  the  contrary, 
he  felt  an  imperious  desire  to  return  to  the 
family  life,  to  see  Carine  oftener,  and  to  speak 
with  her  if  possible. 


Swedish  hospitality,  which  gives  without 
thought  of  return,  and  which  restricts  no  one's 
Hberty,  permitted  our  hero  to  follow  his  own 
fancies,  without  notice  or  comment.  In  this 
second  crisis  of  his  life,  he  did  not  go  out  so 
much,  but  under  pretext  of  work  remained  al- 
most constantly  in  his  room,  hearing  the  many 
noises  which  were  around  him,  and  which  his 
ear,  owing  to  his  nervous  state,  could  distin- 
guish with  startling  correctness,  though  vague 
and  uncertain  for  others.     He  had  learned  to 


112  CARINE. 

distinguish  Carina's  lightest  footstep.  Often 
before  dawn  he  carried  his  easel  into  the  gar- 
den, under  the  fallacious  excuse  of  studying  the 
trunks  of  the  fir-trees  so  as  to  paint  the  bark 
well,  but  in  reality  to  catch  distant  glimpses  of 
Carine's  dress  floating  between  the  trees,  as  she 
took  her  early  matinal  walk. 

The  house  of  Monsieur  Tegner  was  tmly  a 
pretty  villa  on  the  hillside,  somewhat  like  those 
chalets  which  give  such  a  picturesque  appear- 
ance to  the  country  around  Brisgau  and  to  the 
Oberland ;  but  to  Marius  its  principal  charm 
consisted  in  the  presence  of  the  golden-haired 
maiden  called  Carine.  This  villa  had  on  the 
second  floor  a  projecting  window  which  was 
beautifully  carved.  The  architect,  or  builder, 
who  placed  it  there  was  a  true  artist ;  he  had 
displayed  much  originality  in  the  carving,  which 
was  in  the  arabesque  or  oriental  style  of 
Damascus  or  Cairo,  of  which  the  Swedes  and 
Norwegians  are  very  fond.  A  little  balcony 
surrounded  this  window,  which  was  at  the  same 


CARINE. 


"3 


time  both  elegant  and  rastic.  Over  the  win- 
dow was  a  sort  of  projecting  roof,  which  formed 
a  tower,  covered  with  a  dome ;  and  all  along 
the  dome  and  spire  climbed  a  profusion  of 
flowering  creepers,  —  sweet-scented  jasmine, 
and  hop-vines,  accompanied  by  a  light  squadron 
of  wall-flowers,  climbing  rapidly,  as  if  to  take  by 
storm  on  their  aerial  route  all  the  other  flowers 
and  leaves.  But  that  which  Marius  valued 
about  all  this  was  that  one  day  on 'the  railing  of 
this  balcony  he  had  seen  Carine  leaning,  to 
look  into  the  garden ;  another  time  he  had 
seen  her  lovely  blond  head  peep  out  of  the 
thick  vines,  when  she  had  mechanically  broken 
off  some  flowers  of  clematis  and  plucked 
dreamingly  some  silver  stars  of  the  fragrant 
jasmine.  From  that  time  this  balcony  was 
sacred  to  our  hero !  He  made  a  masterly 
drawing  of  it,  which  only  needed  her  presence 
to  be  perfect ;  but  the  window  was  a  picture  in 
itself.  The  simple  merchant  was  astonished 
that  his  young. guest  took  such  an  interest  in 
8 


114  CARINE. 

that  window  and  balcony;  but  he  finally 
attributed  it  to  the  vagaries  of  an  artist ,  and 
he  considered  all  artists  a  little  queer.  It  was 
a  constant  source  of  trouble  to  the  honest 
Tegner  to  comprehend  the  attraction  which 
made  a  young  man  with  such  brilliant  prospects 
prefer  art  to  trade;  so  he  set  all  his  little 
eccentricities  down  to  the  same  score,  and 
thought  that  perhaps  age  would  bring  reason  ; 
and  in  the  mean  while  he  formed  a  veritable 
attachment  for  Marius,  and  loved  him  as  a 
son. 

At  the  hours  of  family  reunion  Marius  was 
always  the  first  at  the  rendezvous.  Tegner  was 
much  surprised  to  find  him  before  himself  in 
the  drawing-room,  and  pointed  his  young  friend 
out  as  a  model  to  Elfrida,  who  had  perhaps  a 
ribbon  to  tie  or  a  pin  to  put  in,  and  was  usually 
a  little  late.  Our  hero's  chief  happiness  was  to 
see  Carine  enter  the  room,  with  her  light  grace- 
ful carriage,  her  figure  at  the  same  time  elegant 
and    frail,   her   lovely    blond    head    bent   shyly 


CARINE.  115 

down.  She  never  even  looked  at  Marius,  but 
he  could  look  at  her ;  and  at  table  he  was  at 
her  side,  and  it  was  a  pleasure  to  render  her  the 
many  little  services  by  which  well-bred  men 
can  show  women  their  deference  and  respectful 
attention.  At  first  she  received  these  attentions 
with  apparent  indifference,  but  ended  by  be- 
coming accustomed  to  them. 

Etiquette  was  less  severe  here  in  Tegner's 
house  than  at  the  court  of  the  petty  German 
princes.  Each  guest  did  not  have  behind  his 
chair  a  valet  in  black  cloth  to  anticipate  his 
wishes  and  satisfy  his  desires ;  one  had  there 
the  right  and  the  duty  to  occupy  himself  with 
his  neighbor.  Carine  handed  his  glass  to 
Marius,  and  he  in  turn  took  the  basket  and 
offered  her  the  bread,  passed  her  the  fruit  and 
asked  her  for  the  cream  and  sugar.  Therefore 
there  was  between  them  a  continual  interchange 
of  courtesies.  Carine  thanked  Marius  some- 
times by  a  word  and  sometimes  by  a  smile. 
He  was  indeed  the  light  of  the  company.     He 


Il6  CARINE 

well  knew  how  to  make  himself  interesting,  — 
sometimes  gay,  and  sometimes  even  a  little  buf 
foonish  :  the  southern  temperament  is  welcome 
everywhere.  The  beautiful  melancolie  took  no 
part  in  the  conversation,  but  she  listened. 
Sometimes  Marius  turned  to  her  suddenly,  and 
his  eyes  said,  "  It  is  for  you  I  talk  !  "  But 
instead  of  flattering  her  these  attentions  dis- 
turbed Carine  ;  she  immediately  became  dis- 
contented, formal,  and  abstracted ;  she  seemed 
by  her  cold  glance  to  say,  "  Do  you  not  know 
that  I  am  dead  to  the  world?"  Under  such  a 
glance  Marius  felt  a  certain  bitterness  ;  he  real- 
ized that  his  hopes  had  soared  too  high,  only  to 
fall  heavily  to  the  earth. 

At  times  also  Carine  did  not  come  to  her 
meals  for  days,  and  Marius  did  not  even  hear 
her  name  mentioned.  These  were  bad  days 
for  him ;  but  there  were  greater  trials  in  store 
for  him.  He  had  now  been  Monsieur  Tegner's 
guest  over  three  weeks,  and  believed  that  he 
had  somewhat  influenced  this  young  girl;  that 


CARINB.  117 

he  had  in  a  measure  overcome  her  shyness 
and  softened  her  bitter  moods,  —  when  all  at 
once  he  perceived  to  his  great  sorrow  a  sad 
change  come  over  her.  For  several  days  she 
had  appeared  more  calm,  more  interested  in  all 
around  her,  as  if  she  was  gliding  imperceptibly 
from  her  melancholy  and  returning  to  ordinary 
life.  Physically  she  was  expanding ;  her  eyes 
were  brighter,  her  complexion  more  rosy ;  she 
was  no  longer  an  invalid,  and  her  friends  smiled 
hopefully  on  regarding  her.  It  was  then  that 
she  had  a  relapse  a  hundred  times  worse  than 
the  first.  She  enveloped  herself  with  a  cold- 
ness and  reserve  greater  than  ever  before. 
Formerly  toward  Marius  she  was  simply  apa- 
thetic ;  for  her  he  did  not  exist.  At  present  it 
was  much  worse ;  she  appeared  to  have  an 
aversion  for  him  which  was  almost  hatred ;  she 
carefully  avoided  meeting  him,  and  fled  from 
his  presence  ;  she  shunned  the  garden  because 
he  went  there  ;  and  if  at  times  she  went  to  her 
meals,  she  arrived  late  and  left  early,  without 


1 1 8  carine. 

speaking  a  word  to  any  one.  Marius  did  not 
complain ;  but  he  thought  her  unjust  in  her 
caprices,  and  mentally  accused  her  of  all  his 
sufferings. 

Nevertheless  (who  can  sound  the  depths  of 
a  feminine  heart?),  once  or  twice,  turning  sud- 
denly, he  found  Carine  looking  at  him  intently ; 
and  moreover  the  expression  in  her  eyes  was 
not  hatred.  Another  day  Marius  was  reading 
under  the  shade  of  the  large  trees  beside  the 
fountain  near  the  porphyry  vase ;  it  was  a 
volume  of  Carlen's  poems,  which  described  in 
beautiful  language  the  secret  bitterness  and  the 
deceitful  sweetness  of  love.  He  let  the  book 
fall,  and  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven ;  but  on  the 
way  he  looked  into  Carine's  window.  His 
glance  did  not  go  farther,  for  behind  the 
curtain  he  saw  a  little  white  hand  holding 
the  muslin  apart.  The  hand  was  withdrawn 
quickly  and  the  drapery  fell,  —  but  not  so 
promptly  as  to  prevent  his  recognizing  Carine  ! 
This  so  agitated  our  hero  that  he  arose  sud- 


CARINE.  119 

denly  and  went  for  a  long  walk  in  the  country, 
through  an  extended  avenue  of  lindens  and 
beeches  which  led  to  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains ;  there  he  thought  over  his  acquaintance 
with  this  strange  but  adorable  creature,  and 
even  dared  to  hope  for  the  future  ! 

"  Strange  girl !  "  murmured  he  as  he  walked 
rapidly  on,  beating  with  his  cane  the  under- 
growth of  vines  and  grasses  that  grew  so 
thickly  in  the  borders  of  his  path.  "  Oh,  shall 
I  ever  penetrate  the  mysteries  of  her  heart?" 

This  mystery  was  one  of  Carine's  strongest 
attractions  for  Marius,  and  was  no  doubt  the 
very  thing  which  had  enchained  him.  To  this 
careless  son  of  the  South,  accustomed  to  an 
easy  artistic  life,  everything  with  him  so  far 
had  been  couleur  de  rose ,  he  had  yet  to  learn 
that  often  the  heart  of  man  is  revealed  to 
himself  by  suffering.  He  was  aware  that  his 
love  was  more  than  he  could  endure ;  he 
sought  everywhere  the  remedy,  but  found  it 
not.     It  was  impossible  to  appeal  to  Carine ; 


I20  CARINE. 

he  well  knew  that  she  would  not  listen  to  him 
for  a  moment.  Elfrida  was  too  young  and 
gay  for  a  confidante ;  he  was  afraid  she  would 
laugh  at  his  woes.  There  was  nothing  about 
Madame  Tegner  to  inspire  confidence  in  re- 
gard to  love  affairs.  There  remained  only  his 
host ;  undoubtedly  Monsieur  Tegner  was  the 
best  of  the  family  for  that  purpose.  Two  or 
three  times  the  young  man  tried  to  speak  on 
this  subject  to  the  worthy  man.  At  first  he 
began  by  asking  some  questions  about  Carine ; 
but  at  the  first  word  poor  Tegner  looked  so 
embarrassed  and  troubled  that  from  sheer  pity 
Marius  could  not  continue  the  subject,  nor 
demand  answer  to  his  question. 


^^Wu  XI 


Yet  our  hero  well  knew  that  this  tense  state 
of  affairs  could  not  continue,  and  that  a  de- 
nouement was  imminent.  He  grew  thin  and 
nervous;  and  avowed  that  he  was  no  longer 
himself;  he  certainly  felt  that  he  no  longer 
rendered  himself  as  agreeable  to  his  host  as 
politeness  demanded.  Like  Carine,  he  needed 
solitude.  He  therefore  resolved  to  leave,  at 
least  for  a  time,  this  hospitable  house,  and  to 
set  out  immediately  on  a  voyage  to  the  great 
lakes  and  immense  forests  of  the  North,  which 
he  had  intended  to  visit  in  the  autumn. 


122  CARINE. 

One  morning,  then,  Marius  brusquely  an- 
nounced his  intention  to  his  host  at  breakfast, 
just  as  they  had  finished  their  meal.  No  doubt 
Carine  was  dreamily  absorbed  in  her  own 
thoughts,  for  at  that  moment  she  let  fall  to 
the  floor,  instead  of  putting  on  the  table,  the 
glass  from  which  she  was  drinking. 

"  What  !  you  are  going  already?  "  cried 
Tegner,  putting  his  hand  on  the  young  man's 
arm. 

"Yes,"  replied  Marius;  "but  I  will  return," 
added  he,  looking  at  Carine.  She  had  resumed 
her  mask,  and  her  face  expressed  nothing. 

"And  when  do  you  go?"  asked  Tegner. 

"To-morrow.' 

"  Is  n't  this  very  sudden  ?  " 

"  I  can  wait  no  longer." 

"And  you  go  —  " 

"To  the  North." 

"  By  what  route  ?  " 

"By  the  Gotha  Canal." 

"  Impossible  !  all  the  places  are  taken." 


CARIN-E.  123 

"  Mine  is  reserved." 

"Why,  you  are  a  careful  young  man." 

"  It  is  necessary  in  travelling." 

"  Well,  the  captain  is  one  of  my  best  friends. 
I  will  recommend  you  to  him  with  great 
pleasure,  if  you  will  permit  me ;  but  this 
abrupt  departure  seems  odd  to  me." 

"  Do  not  suspect  me  of  ingratitude,  my  dear 
friend  !  "  cried  the  young  Frenchman,  taking 
in  his  both  of  the  merchant's  hands  and  press- 
ing them  affectionately,  '  but  introduce  me  to 
your  friend  as  soon  as  possible." 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  passed  in  the 
nervous  occupations  and  the  little  preparations 
which  always  accompany  a  departure.  Tegner, 
his  wife,  and  Elfrida  did  everything  they  could 
to  insure  their  guest's  comfort  on  his  journey ; 
they  took  as  much  interest  as  if  he  had  been 
really  their  child  and  brother.  They  loaded 
him  with  as  many  provisions  and  other  articles 
as  if  he  were  undertaking  a  voyage  to  the  north 
pole.      Marius  was  overwhelmed  and  touched 


124  CARINE. 

by  these  delicate  attentions ;  he  had  never 
se6n  such  goodness  and  generosity  united  with 
such  frank  and  unaffected  cordiality. 

Carine  remained  shut  up  in  her  room,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  depart  without  seeing  her. 


TiiE  vessels  that  run  between  the  North  and 
the  Baltic  Seas  by  the  Gotha  Canal  leave  the 
port  of  Gothenburg  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  Therefore  most  of  the  passengers 
go  on  board  the  preceding  evening.  Marius, 
therefore,  left  the  dear  mansion  where  he  had 
been  so  hospitably  received,  after  tea,  accom- 
panied by  Karl  Johan  and  Brask,  —  the  latter 
having  come  to  pass  this  last  evening  with  the 
young  Frenchman,  whom  he  now  loved  like  a 
brother.      Standing   erect    and  solemn  on  the 


126  CARINE. 

threshold  like  a  sibyl,  Brigette  Tegner  deigned 
to  wish  him  "  a  happy  voyage  and  a  safe 
return ; "  and  Elfrida,  giving  him  her  hand, 
said  in  a  sweet  voice  (but  looking  at  Brask), 
"  Do  not  forget  us,  Monsieur,  and  return 
soon."  And  Marius,  without  doubt  willing 
to  pique  his  jealous  friend,  kissed  the  pretty 
hand  held  out  lo  him,  with  all  the  grace  of  a 
gentleman  of  the  court  of  Louis  XV.,  and  then 
with  a  rapid  step  joined  his  worthy  host,  who 
had  already  started  in  the  direction  of  the 
port ;  but  on  arriving  at  the  corner  of  the 
street  he  turned  lo  take  a  last  view  of  the  place 
where  life  had  suddenly  taken  on  for  him  an 
intensity  so  profound.  He  looked  earnestly  at 
the  roof  which  sheltered  Carine,  then  dashing 
a  tear  from  his  eye  and  sighing  deeply,  he 
hastily  rejoined  his  companions. 

The  three  friends  soon  reached  the  quay 
where  were  stationed  the  little  packet  boats 
that  run  on  the  Gotha  Canal.  The  captain, 
standing  on  the  bridge,  overlooked  the  loading 


•  CARINE.  127 

of  merchandise  and  the  arrival  of  the  pas- 
sengers. Seeing  his  old  friend  Tegner,  he 
descended  to  meet  him  and  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  the  young  Frenchman  whom 
Karl  Johan  warmly  recommended  to  his  care. 
The  captain  received  our  hero  with  great  cour- 
tesy, and  immediately  installed  him  in  one  of 
the  best  cabins  near  his  own.  Now  that  he 
was  convinced  that  his  young  friend  was  well 
cared  for,  Karl  Johan  remembered  that  it  was 
his  hour  for  retiring ;  so  wishing  Marius 
"good-night"  and  bon  voyage,  he  took  Fred- 
erick's arm  and  went  on  shore,  where,  after 
waving  his  handkerchief  to  his  late  guest,  he 
wended  his  way  homeward. 

Left  to  himself,  Marius,  son  of  a  ship-owner, 
naturally  inspected  the  boat  to  which  he  had 
intrusted  his  life.  He  also  glanced  at  his 
fellow  travellers,  condemned  like  himself  to  a 
forced  intimacy  between  these  narrow  planks ; 
then  he  went  to  the  forward  part  of  the  deck 
and  seated  himself  on  a  bundle  of  ropes,  and 


128  CARINE. 

idly  listened  to  the  songs  of  the  sailors  as  they 
worked  in  the  rigging.  At  the  same  time  he 
reviewed  the  events  of  the  past  weeks  once 
more.  It  seemed  incredible  to  him  that  in 
so  short  a  time  more  had  happened  to  him 
than  in  his  whole  previous  life. 


imk  Mi 


The  English  are  justly  proud  of  the  beau- 
tiful Caledonian  Canal  between  Oban  and 
Inverness,  connecting  the  Irish  and  the  North 
Seas,  and  which  they  call  with  their '  usual 
emphasis  "  Neptune's  Staircase,"  no  doubt 
because  its  liquid  steps  raise  like  mere  play- 
things the  heavy  vessels  of  Victoria,  which 
pass  with  sails  set  and  at  full  steam  through 
this  artificial  roadway  to  traverse  the  pine 
forests  of  Glen  Nevis.  It  is  a  great  work,  no 
doubt ;  but  one  admires  it  less  when  he  has 
seen  the  Canal  of  Gotha,  between  Gothen- 
burg and  Stockholm. 


1 30  CA  RINE. 

This  immense  work  is  the  actual  result  of 
labor,  and  is  really  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
miracles  of  force  and  human  patience.  It  is 
difficult  to  realize  the  money  and  labor  it  has 
cost  to  cut  this  great  canal  from  one  sea  to 
another ;  to  force  through  forests  and  moun- 
tains a  stream  of  water  forty  leagues  long. 
Here  following  the  level  of  torrents  and  lakes, 
there  on  the  contrary  digging  through  granite 
beds  and  rocks  of  porphyry,  it  is  achieved  by 
a  vast  system  of  bridges,  gates,  dams,  basins, 
and  aqueducts,  which  vanquish  all  the  obstacles 
and  wash  the  highest  hills  with  salt  sea  waves. 
And  this  beautiful  canal  runs  through  such  a 
charming  and  picturesque  country,  filled  with 
so  much  historical  interest ;  here  one  can  recall 
all  the  pomps  of  history  and  all  the  enchant- 
ments of  poetry.  As  one  passes  through  the 
beautiful  country  filled  with  noble  ruins,  and 
the  marvels  of  legendary  lore  unroll,  mixed 
with  the  splendors  of  Nature,  one  must  ac- 
knowledge  that  the  Rhine   itself,  with  its  cor- 


CARINE. 


131 


lege  of  feudal  castles  and  ruined  turrets,  —  even 
the  old  German  Rhine,  —  is  vanquished. 

September  was  near  at  hand  :  daylight  no 
longer  reigned  supreme,  and  there  was  already 
a  little  darkness,  though  of  very  short  duration ; 


and  toward  three  a  band  of  satin  lightened 
the  horizon,  and  announced  once  more  the  day- 
break. The  bell  sounded  its  last  call,  the  chain 
which  fastened  the  boat  to  the  wharf  was  taken 
in,  and  above  the  masts  and  ropes  puffed  and 
streamed  the  waves  of  black  smoke;  then  the 
heavy  mass  shook,  the  water  became  agitated 


132  CARINE. 

and  foamy,  the  paddle  wheel  revolved,  and  the 
"  Edda  "  confided  herself  to  the  waves  of  the 
river  Gotha,  and  struggled  bravely  against 
the  current. 

Seated  on  a  pile  of  ropes  near  the  sailor  who 
held  the  tiller,  insensible  to  the  beauties  of  the 
landscape  which  unrolled  before  him,  Marius 
followed  eagerly  with  his  eyes  the  fading  view 
of  Gothenburg,  which  grew  fainter  each  mo- 
ment, and  soon  almost  disappeared  on  the 
horizon.  At  last  a  bend  in  the  river  and  a 
small  hill  concealed  even  this  distant  view. 
Our  hero's  heart  sunk  within  him ;  but  he  soon 
rallied,  and  said  to  himself,  "  Be  a  man  !  Am 
I  a  weak  child  that  I  should  give  way  like 
this  ?  "  He  arose,  and  going  to  the  bow  of  the 
boat  mingled  with  the  busy  group  of  passengers, 
who  looked  admiringly  on  the  beautiful  scenery 
through  which  they  were  passing.  To  the  fer- 
tile plains  that  surrounded  the  city  already  suc- 
ceeded the  most  wild  and  abrupt  scenes.  The 
vessel  glided  swiftly  by  steep  hills  bristling  with 


CARINE  133 

great  rocks  of  grotesque  forms,  covered  with 
moss,  lichens,  and  heather,  above  which  enor- 
mous pine-trees  stood  Hke  superb  odalisques  of 
verdure.  In  any  other  mood  the  young  artist 
would  have  been  enchanted  with  such  grand 
scenery  (now  smiling,  now  terrible)  incessantly 
offered  to  his  regard ;  but  when  one  suffers,  it 
is  the  heart  and  not  the  sky  which  must  change. 
Nevertheless,  he  took  his  sketch-book  and  his 
pencils,  and  anxious  to  forget  himself  in  labor 
he  tried  to  draw  rapidly,  in  passing,  the  marvels 
of  Nature  by  which  he  was  surrounded. 

Toward  evening  the  "Edda"  entered  at  full 
steam  the  waters  of  Wener,  a  lake  large  as  a 
sea.  The  atmosphere  was  transparent  and 
serene  \  the  water  was  like  a  vast  crystal  mirror, 
—  smooth  as  glass.  In  the  wake  of  the  steamer 
lay  a  long  track  of  silver,  with  occasionally  light 
flakes  of  foam.  All  Nature  was  calm,  quiet, 
and  peaceful.  Marius  gazed  dreamily  at  this 
silver  pathway;  the  soft  light  of  Aurora  threw 
upon  it  the  prismatic  colors,  which  lighted  with 


134  CARINE. 

unearthly  radiance,  and  like  the  velvet  lining  of 
a  jewel-casket,  the  little  rainbow- colored  drops 

—  diamonds,  sapphires,  emeralds,  and  liquid 
rubies  —  that  sparkled  and  scintillated.  In  the 
distance  appeared  the  lofty  mountain  of  Kinne- 
kulle,  which  is  called  the  "  Crown  of  Sweden," 

—  like  to  an  immense  wave  which  in  time  of 
tempest  had  risen  up  from  the  depths  of  Lake 
Wener,  and  which  the  wand  of  a  magician  had 
suddenly  struck  with  an  eternal  immobility. 
On  its  sides  Nature  has  lavished  her  richest 
treasures.  Forests  spread  over  it;  meadows 
with  luxuriant  verdure  bloomed  upon  it,  en- 
amelled with  thousands  of  wild  flowers ;  lovely 
gardens  smiled  near  flourishing  orchards, — 
everywhere  were  beauty  and  verdure,  and  the 
pretty  cottages  on  the  hillside  were  surrounded 
by  well  kept  lawns.  Here  and  there  little  vil- 
lages climbed  on  the  mountain's  shoulder,  and 
the  large  iron  cross  (the  holy  symbol  of  Chris- 
tianity) which  surmounted  the  little  white  or 
red  churches  rose  to  heaven  in  the  midst  of 


CARINE.  135 

large  trees.  Soon  the  steamer  passed  by  the 
famous  rock  of  Whalle-Hall,  from  the  top  of 
which  the  Scandinavian  warriors  who  had  not 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  fall  in  battle  precipi- 
tated themselves  into  the  lake,  hoping  by  this 
voluntary  sacrifice  to  propitiate  the  gods,  and 


to  obtain  admission  into  their  military  para- 
dise. At  last,  after  having  saluted  en  passant 
the  Gothic  ruins  (which  are  rare  in  Sweden) 
of  the  old  manor  of  Lecko,  and  the  pleasant 
village  of  Bruneby,  which  seems  to  burst  out 
of  the  bosom  of  verdure,  the  "  Edda  "  stopped 
in  front  of  the  convent  of  Wreta-Kloster. 
The  captain,  who  had  been  busily  occupied 


136  CARINE. 

conducting  his  vessel  safely  through  the  lake, 
had  not  yet  had  time  to  pay  Marius  any  atten- 
tion, as  he  had  promised  his  friend  Tegner  he 
would  do.  But  arrived  at  the  station  where 
the  steamer  was  to  make  a  little  stay,  he  sought 
the  young  stranger,  and  claimed,  with  a  win- 
ning cordiality  full  of  grace,  the  pleasure  of 
his  company.  He  had  already  noticed  the 
melancholy  expression  of  the  Frenchman ;  and 
he  felt  that  he  owed  it  to  the  honor  of  Sweden 
to  disperse,  if  possible,  the  cloud  under  which 
the  young  man  evidently  rested,  and  to  cause 
him  to  carry  home  with  him  a  good  impression 
of  this  northern  land. 

Petrus  Mandel  was  the  captain's  name ;  he 
was  a  distinguished  officer  in  the  Swedish  navy, 
and  like  many  of  his  fellow  officers  had  passed 
several  years  in  the  French  squadron,  where 
he  had  acquired  those  elegant  manners  and 
customs  which  form  part  of  the  traditions  of 
this  elegant  corps.  Called  to  a  brilliant  career, 
Petrus,  officer  of  fortune    (that  is  to  say,   he 


CARINE.  137 

had  710  fortune),  chanced  to  meet  an  extremely 
beautiful  and  seductive  woman,  with  whom  he 
fell  in  love.  But  he  remembered  the  old 
stanza  in  the  Saga  :  "  On  land  make  love ;  on 
the  water  never !  On  a  vessel  even  Freya 
herself  would  deceive;  it  is  a  deceitful  smile 
which  dimples  her  lovely  cheeks,  and  her 
floating  tresses  become  nets  to  ensnare  thee." 
Ebba  was  the  name  of  his  beloved,  and  she 
drew  him  to  the  shore  with  silken  tresses. 
He  no  more  took  pleasure  in  these  long 
voyages  which  separated  him  so  cruelly  from 
his  sweetheart ;  a  year  seemed  an  age.  So 
he  resigned  his  position  in  the  navy,  and 
accepted  the  command  of  one  of  the  finest 
steamers  belonging  to  the  canal  company. 

"  I  regret,"  said  he  to  Marius,  "  that  my 
duties  have  thus  far  prevented  me  from  enjoy- 
ing your  society.  It  would  have  given  me 
great  pleasure  to  point  out  to  you  the  beauties 
of  our  lakes  and  torrents ;  but  one  cannot 
always  do  as  one  wishes  :   I  am  a  proof  of  this 


138  CARINE. 

saying.  But  at  present,  at  least,  I  am  at  lib- 
erty ;  that  is  to  say,  I  am  at  your  service." 

Marius  was  in  such  a  melancholy  mood  that 
perhaps  he  would  have  preferred  solitude  to 
even  the  excellent  company  of  the  good  cap- 
tain ;  but  the  offer  was  made  with  such  frank 
cordiality,  that  it  was  not  possible  to  refuse. 
The  captain  took  his  new  friend's  arm,  and 
while  the  other  passengers  went  on  shore  and 
installed  themselves  in  a  shabby- looking  inn, 
he  conducted  our  hero  to  supper  in  his  private 
salon. 

There  is  nothing  like  full  glasses  —  when 
one  has  emptied  them  —  to  establish  confi- 
dence.' At  the  end  of  an  hour  Danglade  and 
Mandel  were  like  old  friends  ;  they  had  already 
discussed  many  subjects,  and  found  that  they 
agreed  very  well.  Between  two  men  both 
young  and  both  men  of  the  world  there  is 
usually  a  certain  sympathy ;  and  with  elbows 
on  the  table  they  talked  and  laughed  with 
the  abandon  which    one    always    finds   at    the 


CARINE.  139 

bottom  of  the  third  bottle  of  good  Rhine  wine. 
Love  in  its  thousand  varieties,  the  sentiment 
under  many  aspects,  —  the  fidelity  of  some, 
the  hypocrisy  of  others,  —  was  analyzed  and 
discussed  gravely,  with  a  calmness  of  words 
and  a  brightness  of  observation  which  would 
have  done  credit  to  two  philosophers.  But 
for  intelligence  of  affaires  du  cceur  find  me 
two  philosophers  equal  to  two  lovers  ! 

This  conversation  completely  changed  the 
course  of  Danglade's  ideas,  for  he  had  passed 
the  day  in  a  sort  of  dreamy  stupor. 

The  captain,  delighted  with  the  effect  he 
had  produced,  wishing  to  profit  by  the  leisure 
he  now  enjoyed  (for  the  steamer  had  a  number 
of  locks  to  pass  through),  proposed  a  visit  to 
the  beautiful  ruins  of  the  ancient  convent  of 
Wreta-Kloster.  The  evening  was  superb,  the 
air  pure  and  bracing,  the  sky  serene  and  un- 
troubled. In  a  cortege  of  purple  and  gold 
clouds  the  sun  descended  slowly  toward  the 
mountains   of  Norway ;    the   pine-trees  which 


14©  CARINE. 

fringed  the  borders  of  the  lake  exhaled  their 
pungent  and  balmy  odor  on  the  air ;  the  heath- 
cocks  flew  about  overhead,  sending  forth  hoarse 
and  shrill  cries;  little  squirrels  hopped  from 
branch  to  branch,  peering  at  the  strangers 
curiously  but  fearlessly  with  their  bright  eyes, 
then  bounding  lightly  from  tree  to  tree ;  the 
oblique  rays  of  the  setting  sun  threw  a  rosy 
light  on  the  water,  and  all  Nature  was  beautiful, 
fresh,  and  serene. 

The  young  men  walked  slowly  for  some  time 
in  silence  amid  the  vast  ruins  made  by  the 
hand  of  man,  but  which  kind  Nature  had 
already  partly  covered  with  a  verdant  mantle 
of  ivy  and  saxifrage.  In  the  midst  of  these 
broken  columns,  these  inverted  arches,  these 
prostrate  pillars ;  in  face  of  this  cloister,  dead 
itself,  and  which  only  interested  by  its  death,  — 
they  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  a  vast  cemetery 
covered  with  tombs,  some  fallen,  others  still 
standing,  but  all  covered  with  inscriptions. 
The  ^people  of  the   North  are  known  to  excel 


CARINE.  141 

in  this  literature  of  the  tomb.  Death  always 
inspires  them  with  pious  thoughts,  often  pro- 
found ;  but  it  has  for  them  no  fear  or  terror, 
and  they  always  greet  it  as  a  kind  friend. 

The  thoughts  of  Marius  were  far  from  being 
so  calm  j  his  wounds  were  again  opened.  He 
gradually  withdrew  from  his  companion  and 
began  to  dream  again;  but  the  captain,  who 
did  not  wish  to  leave  him  alone,  soon  joined 
him,  and  surprised  him  in  the  act  of  reading 
earnestly  this  epitaph,  engraved  on  the  tomb 
of  a  young  man,  — 

"  King,  behold  thy  destiny ! 
Slave,  behold  thy  release ! 
Beauty,  behold  these  bones ! 
Savant,  behold  this  empty  skull! 
Rich  man,  behold  this  dust! 
Pauper,  behold  this  world!" 

"Very  good,"  said  Petnis ;  "see  him  fallen 
into  melancholy  again.  Attention  ! "  and  then, 
following  a  manoeuvre  familiar  to  great  tacti- 
cians, he  made  what  is  called  a  "diversion." 


142  CARINE. 

"  Come,"  said  he,  "  I  wish  to  show  you  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  views  in  Sweden." 

Then  drawing  Marius  away  from  the  tomb, 
the  captain  led  him  through  a  serpentine  path, 
and  soon  arrived  at  a  large  rock,  which  formed 
a  natural  platform  in  the  midst  of  the  most 
luxuriant  vegetation.  Here  were  trees  and 
shrubs  of  all  colors  and  varieties,  and  spread 
out  like  a  vast  panorama  before  them  was  a 
magnificent  scene.  There  were  the  two  lakes, 
the  winding  canal  which  united  them,  a  range 
of  hills  rising  one  above  the  other  Hke  the 
steps  of  a  gigantic  ampitheatre,  and  still  farther 
off,  in  the  extreme  distance,  a  waving  girdle  of 
large  trees. 

"Behold  Sweden!  Is  it  not  beautiful?" 
asked  the  captain,  touching  the  young  man's 
shoulder  good-naturedly. 

"  Magnificent !  "  replied  he  ;  then,  stretching 
his  arm  toward  the  southwest,  "  Is  not  Gothen- 
burg there?"  asked  he,  not  without  blushing 
a  little. 


CARINE.  143 

"Yes,"  replied  Mandel,  looking  at  him 
roguishly ;  "  Gothenburg  is  there  —  and  Carina 
also  !  " 

At  the  sound  of  the  name  so  ever  present 
to  his  thoughts,  Marius  blushed  deeply;  then 
grew  suddenly  pale.  "Ah,"  said  he  in  a  few 
moments,  without  looking  at  Mandel,  "you 
know  Carine?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  captain;  "and  I  am,  per- 
haps, of  all  her  friends,  he  who  best  knows 
the  secrets  of  her  sad  young  life." 

Marius  was  silent ;  but  his  trembling  lips 
and  fixed  look  spoke  for  him.  His  very 
silence  was  as  eloquent  as  a  prayer,  and  seemed 
to  say  to  the  young  officer,  "  Speak  !  I  im- 
plore you  !  " 

"  Have  you  heard  nothing  of  her  history 
from  Tegner?"  asked  the  captain  at  last. 

"  Absolutely  nothing.  I  have  not  even 
dared  to  ask  her  father," 

"She  is  not  Tegner's  daughter." 

"Who  is  she,  then?" 


144  CARINE. 

"  His  niece." 

"Is  she  an  orphan?" 

"  No  ;  but  she  is  unfortunate.  When  Tegner 
(who  is  goodness  itself)  heard  of  the  event 
which  had  almost  unsettled  her  reason  and 
compromised  her  life,  .  .  .  the  good  man  pro- 
posed to  his  sister,  the  mother  of  Carine  (who 
lives  in  the  country),  to  send  her  daughter  to 
Gothenburg  to  him,  so  that  she  might  be 
diverted  by  the  distractions  of  city  life." 

"  He  has  succeeded  well !  "  murmured 
Marius. 

"  That  is  not  his  fault ;  it  is  rather  Carine's, 
for  she  will  not  be  consoled." 

"What  has  she  lost,  then?" 

"That  is  a  long  story,"  replied  the  captain, 
"and  it  would  take  a  long  while  to  relate  it 
to  you." 

"  But  the  hours  are  long,  and  we  have  noth- 
ing to  do,"  said  Marius,  leaning  his  elbow  on 
his  knee  and  resting  his  head  upon  his  hand, 
in  the  attitude   of  one  who  wishes   to   listen 


CARINE. 


145 


attentively  and   without   losing  a  word  of  the 
story. 

"Carina    is   not   a   native   of  Gothenburg," 
said  Mandel ;    "  she  was   born   some  distance 


-"^ 


from  that  city,  in  a  little  village  that  we  passed 
this  morning  on  our  way." 

"  What !  and  you  did  not  tell  me  ?  "  cried 
the  young  man,  interrupting  him. 

"  Eh  ?  How  did  I  know  that  it  would 
interest  you,  I  should  like  to  know?" 

"You  are  right,"  replied  Marius,  hanging  his 
head,  "  pardon  me.  I  know  you  will,  won't 
you?  " 

10 


146  CARINE. 

"  Certainly,  my  friend,"  said  the  good  cap- 
tain, laughing ;  "  we  never  expect  reason  from 
a  lover,  eh?  " 

Marius  did  not  reply,  but  continued  the  sub- 
ject :  "  You  say  that  we  passed  her  native 
village?  " 

"  Yes ;  it  is  called  Lilla-Edet,  and  is  situated 
a  few  miles  from  the  cascades  of  Trolhatta, 
which  you  did  not  care  to  visit." 

"What  did  she  do?  Why  has  she  left  her 
home?  Why  is  she  now  in  Gothenburg?  And 
above  all,  why  is  she  so  —  so  sad?" 

"  But  you  demand  the  whole  history  in  a 
word  !  " 

"  Yes,  without  doubt.     I  wish  to  hear  all." 

"  Listen,  then,"  said  the  captain.  "  Carine 
is  the  daughter  of  Monsieur  Tegner's  sister ;  her 
family  is  not  wealthy,  but  they  are  in  comfort- 
able circumstances,  and  highly  respectable. 
She  has  an  unusual  sense  of  honor,  and  has 
received  an  excellent  education.  I  do  not 
know  how  old  you  think  she  is,  but  she  is  just 


CARINE.  147 

nineteen,  although  she  does  not  appear  to  be 
more  than  sixteen ;  but  misfortune  has  already 
pressed  heavily  on  this  poor  girl." 

"What,  then,  has  happened  to  her?"  cried 
Marius ;  "  really,  you  frighten  me  !  " 

The  captain  did  not  reply  directly,  but  con- 
tinued :  '*  With  her  father  and  her  mother  she 
lived  peacefully  and  happily,  honored  and  re- 
spected. She  is  very  beautiful ;  but  I  need 
not  tell  you  that,  —  you  have  seen  her." 

Marius  made  an  affirmative  sign,  and  sighed. 

"Unfortunately,"  continued  the  captain, "the 
son  of  a  rich  neighboring  farmer,  who  had  been 
educated  in  Stockholm,  returned  to  establish 
himself  in  the  neighborhood.  I  can  only  tell 
you  that  he  was  a  phoenix.  Carine  was  nearly 
eighteen,  admired  and  courted  by  all  the  rustic 
beaux  of  the  vicinity;  she  had  never  loved, 
and  she  had  arrived  at  that  age  when  young 
people  are  most  susceptible.  Olaf  was  the 
young  man's  name ;  he  soon  paid  her  marked 
attention,    and    sought    not    to    deceive    her. 


148  CARINE. 

Carine  had  been  raised  too  chastely  for  him  to 
hope  to  persuade  her  against  honor.  He  re- 
spected her,  and  contented  himself  with  being 
honest,  and  spoke  of  marriage." 

"And  she  listened  to  him? "  cried  Mariiis. 

The  captain  not  heeding  this  question  went 
on  with  his  story :  "  The  more  chaste  a  maiden 
is  the  better  she  knows  how  to  love.  She  had 
never  before  listened  to  words  of  love ;  her 
heart  was  as  virgin  as  that  of  Mother  Eve  the 
day  when,  taking  her  by  the  hand,  God  gave 
her  as  a  wife  to  the  first  man.  But  more  faith- 
ful than  Eve,  this  lovely  blonde  did  not  listen 
to  the  serpent.  In  a  word,  she  loved  with  all 
her  heart." 

Mandel  could  see  by  the  expression  of  his 
young  friend's  face  that  it  was  very  bitter  for 
him  to  hear  that  Carine  had  loved  another 
man,  and  he  hastened  to  say :  "  She  was  wrong, 
and  will  some  day  realize  it ;  very  few  men  are 
worthy  of  such  love."  Then  he  again  resumed 
the  story :  — 


CARINE.  149 

"  Carine's  parents,  wise  and  prudent,  did  not 
view  the  prospect  of  this  union  with  enthu- 
siasm. They  loved  their  daughter,  and  Olaf 
did  not  seem  to  them  likely  to  be  a  husband 
who  would  make  his  wife  happy.  But  what 
reply  could  they  make  to  their  beloved  daugh- 
ter, who  came  to  them  so  confidingly,  and  em- 
bracing them  said,  *  I  love  and  I  am  loved  ! ' 
Could  they  say,  'Bless  you  child,'  and  rejoice 
with  her?  It  was  Olaf s  father  who  solved  the 
problem.  Where  his  son  had  the  merit  of  see- 
ing only  a  question  of  sentiment,  he  saw  a 
question  of  ciphers.  He  weighed  Carine's  dot, 
and  found  it  too  light  compared  with  that  of 
his  son ;  it  lacked  some  hundreds  of  rix-dol- 
lars  before  the  *  Pearl  of  Sweden '  (as  Carine 
was  called)  would  be  worthy  of  this  peasant, 
who  had  been  refined  in  the  schools. 

"  To  do  Olaf  justice,  he  was  very  sorry  that 
his  father  should  be  so  determined  against  the 
marriage ;  for  he  loved  the  maiden  as  much 
as  he  was  capable  of  loving,  and  that  perhaps 


150  CARINE. 

is  not  saying  much.  But  he  did  not  possess 
enough  force  of  character  to  combat  his 
father's  will.  'We  will  wait,'  said  he  to  Ca- 
rine.  'Wait!  for  what?'  cried  she.  'You 
know  that  I  will  never  be  any  richer.'  '  Life 
is  long,'  replied  he,  'and  my  father  may 
change.' 

"  In  the  mean  time  family  pride,  —  the  con- 
sciousness of  a  long  line  of  worthy  ancestors 
and  of  a  spotless  name,  —  awakened  in  the 
soul  of  Carine's  father.  'You  must  forget 
him,'  said  he  to  his  daughter.  '  It  is  impos- 
sible ! '  cried  the  poor  girl.  '  You  can  if  you 
wish,'  replied  the  father,  who  had  passed  the 
age  of  love  ;  and  as  he  believed  that  one  love 
would  drive  away  another,  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  find  a  husband  for  his  child.  When 
this  was  proposed  to  her  she  was  in  despair, 
and  resisted  with  an  energy  of  which  one 
would  not  have  believed  her  capable.  Her 
mother  called  her  '  disobedient.'  Carine  wept, 
but  would   not  consent.      Her  father  said  he 


CARINE.  151 

would  turn  her  out  of  the  house.  *  Very  well/ 
said  she,  *  I  will  go  to-morrow.' 

"  Do  not  be  too  indignant,  my  young  friend," 
continued  the  captain,  perceiving  the  wrath  of 
Marius,  whose  fists  were  doubled,  "  Her 
parents  were  neither  wicked  nor  heartless ;  if 
they  tried  to  compel  their  daughter  it  was 
because  they  believed  it  was  for  her  happiness. 
It  is  always  the  happiness  of  their  children 
that  most  parents  desire  ;  only  it  often  happens 
that  they  take  the  worst  means  to  obtain  it. 
But  when  Carine's  parents  realized  that  they 
were  only  making  matters  worse,  they  changed 
their  tactics  and  returned  to  their  former  ten- 
derness and  natural  goodness,  —  at  times  more 
tender  than  ever,  because  they  wished  to  atone 
for  their  seeming  cruelty. 

"  But  Carine  had  lost  her  peace  of  mind ; 
she  regarded  herself  as  an  ungrateful  and  dis- 
obedient child,  whom  God  would  punish.  She 
reproached  herself  with  this  obstinate  resist- 
ance to  the  will  of  her  parents ;  and  yet  she 


152  CARINE. 

could  not  make  up  her  mind  to  yield.  First 
love  had  taken  deep  root  in  her  young  soul. 
With  the  courage  she  had,  with  this  noble  faith 
in  her  beloved  (which  is  found  in  the  hearts 
of  all  women  who  have  not  been  deceived  by 
man,  who  have  not  been  disenchanted),  all 
was  possible  ! 

"  Ah,  if  Olaf  had  really  been  worthy  of  her, 
if  he  had  even  had  the  same  courage  and  the 
same  strength  of  character,  these  two  loving 
hearts  might  have  conquered  all,  and  would 
have  overcome  every  obstacle  and  have  been 
happily  united.  But  Olaf,  —  and  mark  that 
these  weak  and  cowardly  men  are  too  often 
the  heroes  of  a  romantic  passion  of  the  best 
and  the  most  noble  of  women,  —  Olaf  lacked 
all  the  strong  virtues ;  he  did  not  possess 
mental  strength  enough  to  take  a  decided 
position,  or  to  oppose  a  stronger  will.  He 
was  a  handsome  animal,  and  contented  him- 
self by  giving  Carine  the  vulgar  consolations 
of  his  barren   tenderness.      He  believed   that 


CARINE.  153 

if  they  were  patient,  something  would  happen 
in  their  favor,  and  that  time  only  could  aid 
them.  He  said  he  was  very  sorry  that  Carina's 
dot  was  not  larger  —  or  rather  that  his  father 
did  not  think  it  enough.  'Always  this  ques- 
tion of  money  ! '  murmured  the  girl,  a  secret 
bitterness  already  arising  in  her  heart.  She 
finally  took  an  heroic  step.  She  had  an  aunt 
at  Stockholm  who  was  her  mother's  sister; 
she  had  no  children  and  was  well  off,  living 
very  comfortably.  She  was  very  fond  of  her 
niece,  and  loved  to  have  her  with  her.  Carina 
asked  permission  to  go  and  stay  with  her  aunt 
for  some  time.  Her  parents  seeing  her  so 
sad  dared  not  refuse ;  they  hoped  that  this 
journey  would  prove  a  distraction  for  her,  and 
that  she  would  return  cured.  Man  is  ingenious 
to  persuade  himself,  and  it  is  that  which  he 
desires  that  he  usually  believes ;  so  her  parents 
made  all  necessary  preparation,  and  saw  their 
daughter  depart  tearfully  but  hopefully. 

"  vStockholm   is   not  as  large   as    Paris ;   but 


154  CARINE. 

at  least  it  is  the  capital  of  Sweden.  That  is 
enough  to  say  that  all  the  miseries  concentrate 
here ;  that  here  covetousness  and  greed  as- 
semble ;  that  the  ambitious  here  fight  the 
battle  of  life.  What  could  a  simple  country 
maid,  who  had  nothing  but  her  innocence  and 
her  beauty,  do  in  the  midst  of  this  crowd? 
Gain  money?  It  was  for  that  she  had  come  ! 
Gain  money  ?  —  terrible  word  full  of  anguish, 
even  in  the  mouths  of  strong  men ;  a  hundred 
times  more  frightful  in  that  of  a  woman  ! 

"  But  there  was  a  Providence.  Carine  found 
that  her  aunt  was  very  good  ;  she  received  her 
niece  with  sincere  affection,  and  forced  her 
to  busy  herself.  There  are  many  dangers  for 
a  lovely  young  girl  in  a  large  city  like  Stock- 
holm ;  but  God  permitted  Carine  to  escape 
them.  She  threw  around  herself  a  strange 
fascination,  —  you  yourself  have  felt  it ;  but  at 
the  same  time  she  lived  in  such  a  serene 
atmosphere  of  modesty  and  reserve  as  to 
command    respect.      Her   aunt   took   a   great 


CARINE.  155 

interest  in  her,  and  protected  her,  and  found 
her  employment.  It  did  not  promise  to  make 
her  rich  rapidly,  but  at  least  it  gave  her  a 
certain  independence  so  dear  to  those  who 
have  true  self-respect  and  dignity. 

"  Built  on  three  islands,  on  the  border  of  a 
large  bay,  pierced  by  canals  which  divide  it 
into  quarters,  or  sections,  the  city  of  Stockholm 
has  more  boats  than  carriages ;  indeed  it  has 
been  called  'the  Venice  of  the  North.'  Its 
inhabitants,  born  sailors,  prefer  their  rapid  skiffs 
to  \)cv&  fiacres  and  to  the  droschkies,  which  wait 
at  each  wharf  the  orders  of  the  voyagers. 
Without  having  the  grand  classic  shape  of  the 
Venetian  gondola  or  the  svelte,  or  the  robust 
lightness  of  the  kdiks  of  Constantinople,  yet 
the  boats  of  Stockholm  are  charming.  It  is 
very  pleasant  on  the  morning  of  a  beautiful 
summer  day  to  see  the  squadron,  with  their 
green-painted  decks,  their  stems  ornamented 
with  leaves  and  flowers,  dash  up  Skeppsbro 
{^Quai  de  la   marine)    to   take    on    their  pas- 


156  CARINE. 

sengers,  proud  of  making  the  trip  in  ten 
minutes.  Tliese  boats  are  entirely  managed 
by  young  girls,  who  are  usually  good-looking, 
having  graceful  forms  and  fresh  complexions. 
The  man  who  would  dare  to  interfere  with 
their  business  would  immediately  be  thrown 
head  first  into  the  bottom  of  the  Baltic.  The 
rudder  falls  like  a  distaff,  and  it  is  really  a 
picturesque  scene  —  like  the  opera  comique  — 
to  see  on  deck  these  water-women,  at  the  same 
time  ,  engaging,  modest,  and  romantic,  with 
their  white,  sleeveless,  open  blouses  over  a 
red  bodice  with  red  sleeves,  their  short  green 
skirts  reaching  only  to  the  knees,  and  their 
scarlet  stockings.  While  the  two  strongest 
girls  put  in  motion  the  ingenious  machinery 
of  the  wheels,  which  obey  their  hands  better 
than  steam,  the  third  plays  on  the  bagpipe  or 
sings  the  national  songs,  which  last  always  find 
an  echo  in  the  depths  of  the  Swedish  heart. 
Most  of  these  batelieres  are  fiancees,  too  poor, 
alas !    to    marry ;    and    they   have    come    from 


CARINE.  157 

their  native  p'.ovince  to  gain  the  modest 
salary  which  will  aid  them  to  buy  their 
trousseau,  whilst  their  patient  lovers  cut  por- 
phyry in  the  quarries  of  Elfsdal,  or  seek  for 
silver  in  the  mines  of  Kongsberg.  All  these 
maidens  form  a  imique  and  charming  class  of 
Swedish  society,  and  are  so  strongly  banded 
together  that  they  form  a  veritable  corporation, 
administered  by  women. 

"  This,  then,  was  Carine's  work.  They  gave 
her  one  of  the  best  places  in  the  office.  It 
would  not  do  to  expose  her  delicate  com- 
plexion to  the  ardent  rays  of  the  summer  sun 
or  the  fierce  winds  of  the  Baltic  sea.  Our 
young  heroine  soon  won  the  esteem  and  love 
of  her  companions ;  it  was  impossible  to  resist 
her  sweetness  and  good  teniper.  In  a  short 
time  she  wore  their  costume ;  and  it  was 
worth  while  to  see  her  when  she  appeared  in 
the  morning  on  the  quay  to  give  the  orders 
and  instruction  of  the  day.  Fresh  as  the  dawn 
and  as  smiling,  her  cheeks  no  longer  pale,  but 


158  CARINE. 

colored  like  the  wild  rose ;  her  graceful  form, 
her  beautiful  hands,  and  her  lovely  blond 
hair,  —  one  could  easily  imagine  they  beheld 
one  of  the  immortal  Valkyries  who  dwell  in 
the  Scandinavian  paradise  of  Odin. 

"  Carine  would  have  been  happy  if  regret  for 
the  absent  had  not  oppressed  her  heart.  She 
had  written  to  her  lover  one  of  those  adorable 
letters  in  which  a  woman  unveils  her  whole 
heart ;  she  told  him  that  now  she  was  support- 
ing herself,  and  that  it  was  for  him  she  was 
working.  '  For  the  rest,'  added  she,  '  for  those 
who  are  intelligent  and  courageous,  Stockholm 
is  an  admirable  city,  where  each  one  is  sure  to 
find  employment  of  his  forces,  the  price  of  his 
courage,  and  the  recompense  of  his  labors.  It 
is  only  necessary  to  will  and  to  dare.*  Carine 
was  not  learned,  and,  God  be  praised  !  she  did 
not  write  like  an  author;  but  her  letter  was 
adorable ;  it  was  full  of  charming  things,  strong 
sentiments,  written  admirably.  On  receiving 
such  a  letter  a  true-hearted  man  would  have 


CARINE.  159 

been  willing  to  bound  over  the  cataracts  of 
Trolhatta,  and  swim  the  two  lakes  to  throw 
himself  at  her  feet." 

"A  true-hearted  man  never  would   have  let 
her  go  !  "  cried  Marius. 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  captain;  "but 
Olaf  was  not  such  a  man.  He  replied  by 
phrases  more  or  less  ambiguous;  he  assured 
her  that  he  was  happy  to  hear  she  was  doing 
so  well ;  that  it  would  always  be  a  happiness 
to  him  to  have  known  her;  that  he  regretted 
very  much  the  position  they  were  in ;  that 
times  were  hard,  and  it  took  a  great  deal  of 
money  to  live ;  and  that  he  had  not  yet  found 
any  way  of  gaining  it.  Many  reasons  and 
excuses,  but  not  a  trace  of  emotion  i  When 
.she  received  his  letter  Carine  felt  her  heart  rise 
in  her  throat ;  but  when  she  read  it,  she  trem- 
bled with  cold  chills.  Ah,  it  was  not  thus  that 
she  had  written  to  him  ! 


"Yet  the  illusion  that  she  was  truly  loved 
soon  returned  to  this  beautiful  soul,  too  pure  to 
admit  a  thought  of  evil,  too  generous  to  cherish 
suspicion.  I  know  not  how  she  deceived  her- 
self, or  what  excuse  she  made  for  such  conduct ; 
but  she  soon  resumed  her  dreams  of  love  and 
hope. 

"  Meanwhile  the  rumor  of  her  great  beauty 
and  grace  and  of  her  wisdom  spread  through 
the  city,  and  one  talked  of  nothing  else  in 
Stockholm  but  the  beautiful    Dalecarlian ;    for 


1 62  CARINE. 

they  attributed  to  her  the  nationality  of  her 
costume.  Thank  God  !  we  do  not  yet  put  all 
our  poetry  in  our  books,  and  we  are  careful  to 
keep  some  for  our  lives.  All  the  world  faisait 
la  cour,  as  the  French  call  it,  to  the  charming 
Carine ;  but  when  they  found  their  gallantry 
was  wasted,  and  that  nothing  could  impair  this 
virtue,  intact  and  brilliant  as  a  diamond,  several 
men  of  good  standing  —  among  others  the  son 
of  a  very  wealthy  banker — offered  their  for- 
tunes and  their  name ;  but  this  girl  believed 
that  one  could  love  but  once,  and  would  not 
listen  to  them.  Then  her  aunt  was  taken  sick 
and  died,  leaving  her  little  fortune  to  her  niece. 
Carine  had  but  one  thought,  but  one  end,  —  to 
return  to  her  home  and  to  Olaf !  Her  aunt's 
affairs  were  in  good  shape;  everything  was 
soon  settled,  and  she  took  possession  of  her 
heritage. 

"  Carine  left  Stockholm.  Oh,  happy  voyage  ! 
although  she  found  it  very  long.  With  what 
joy  she  watched  the  shining  roofs,  the  brilliant 


CARIffE.  163 

cupolas  of  the  capital  disappear  !  It  was  the 
country  and  her  province  that  she  longed  to 
see.  With  what  emotion  she  traversed  the 
grand    lakes   which    separated    her    from    her 


beloved  !  What  ineffable  delight  when  afar  off, 
in  the  midst  of  the  lofty  trees  which  surrounded 
it,  she  perceived  the  spire  of  the  village  church 
in  which  she  had  so  often  prayed,  and  where 
the  priest  who  had  instructed  her  from  infancy 
would  soon  ask  God's  blessing  on  her  union 
with  Olaf!     Yes,  he   w<ts    worthy  of   her,   she 


164  CARINR. 

thought :  she  was  too  sincere  to  suspect.  She 
would  try  to  return  unobserved,  for  she  wished 
to  give  every  one  a  surprise,  and  to  see  how 
happy  they  would  be  to  hear  of  her  good  for- 
tune, and  to  hear  each  one  wish  her  good-luck. 
She  avoided  disembarking  at  the  village  wharf, 
so  as  not  to  attract  too  much  attention.  Soon 
she  found  herself  in  the  fields  a  little  below 
Lilla-Edet,  and  by  a  detour  with  which  she  was 
familiar  she  hastened  to  her  parental  roof. 

"  But  after  entering  the  village  Carina  paused 
a  moment  on  the  summit  of  a  hill  which  com- 
manded a  view  of  the  valley  below,  that  she 
might  see  the  houses,  the  streets,  and  the  gar- 
dens in  the  midst  of  which  she  had  passed  her 
youth,  —  her  happiest  years.  Suddenly  she 
heard  a  joyous  chime  of  bells,  and  as  their 
merry  peals  rang  out  on  the  clear  summer  air 
they  seemed  to  welcome  her  with  their  light 
and  poetic  voices :  these  daughters  of  the  sky 
chanted  her  joy  !  The  maiden's  heart  palpi- 
tated as  she  recognized  these  charming  voices 


CARINE.  165 

that  were  so  familiar  to  her  ear ;  they  seemed 
like  a  distant  call  from  her  lover.  She  hastened 
her  steps,  and  taking  a  short  path  down 
the  hill,  she  ran  joyously  —  eyes  beaming, 
cheeks  glowing  like  the  rose  —  toward  the 
village. 

"The  house  of  God  is  the  first  thing  one 
meets  on  entering  Lilla-Edet.  Situated  at  the 
extreme  limit  of  the  parish,  it  seems  to  salute 
the  stranger,  and  to  promise  a  clement  hos- 
pitality to  all  travellers  who  arrive  in  this  beau- 
tiful valley.  Carine  resolved  to  stay  a  few 
moments  in  the  church ;  hers  was  a  devout 
soul,  like  ail  pure,  tender  natures.  She  wished 
to  thank  the  good  God  for  having  protected 
her  in  such  a  wonderful  manner,  —  the  good 
God  who  had  conducted  her  and  led  her.  She 
entered.  The  edifice  was  full  ot  people, 
dressed  in  holiday  attire.  A  young  girl  was 
at  tfte  altar  in  bridal  costume,  with  the  bril- 
liant crown  of  a  Scandinavian  virgin  upon  her 
head ;  the  golden  circle,  set  with  pale   pearls 


1 66  CARINE. 

from  Lapland  and  with  brilliant  island  stones, 
adorned  her  tresses.  '  I  will  pray  for  her 
happiness,'  thought  Carine,  kneeling  reverently 
and  making  the  sign  of  the  cross ;  '  to-day  I 
wish  every  one  in  the  world  were  happy !  * 
But  just  as  she  raised  her  head,  the  bride- 
groom turned,  so  that  she  saw  his  face. 

"It  was  Olaf! 

"  Carine  with  difficulty  repressed  a  scream ; 
she  grew  pale,  and  trembled,  but  she  did  not 
say  a  word.  She  arose,  left  the  church,  and 
tried  to  find  her  way  home ;  but  she  was  so 
dazed  that  she  soon  lost  herself  in  the  fields. 
A  peasant  who  met  her,  struck  with  her  wild 
looks  and  her  Dalecarlian  costume,  so  differ- 
ent from  that  of  this  province,  ran  to  her ;  at 
the  same  moment,  overcome  with  weakness, 
she  sank  fainting  to  the  ground.  Happily  the 
peasant  recognized  the  poor  child ;  and  bear- 
ing her  in  his  arms,  like  the  good  shepherd 
caring  for  his  wounded  lambs,  he  carried  her 
to  her  father's  house. 


CARINE.  167 

"  The  sorrowful  parents  did  not  understand 
their  daughter's  malady  for  a  long  time.  They 
questioned  her,  but  she  could  not  reply  intel- 
ligently. Only  tke  name  of  Olaf  and  the 
word  *  forgotten '  passed  her  lips,  and  that  so 
quietly  that  nothing  could  be  made  of  it. 
Carine  had  lost  her  reason  !  But,  thanks  be 
to  God,  it  was  only  temporary;  the  divine' 
spark  was  not  extinct,  and  its  flame  soon  re- 
appeared. But  the  poor  forsaken  one  had 
fallen  into  melancholy,  from  which  nothing 
could  rouse  her. 

"  Olaf  and  his  young  wife  dwelt  near  Carine 
in  the  village,  and  their  presence  was  intoler- 
able to  her.  She  often  met  him,  sometimes 
alone,  sometimes  with  his  wife ;  but  alone  or 
with  his  wife,  each  time  she  met  him  she  felt 
the  secret  wound  in  her  heart  open  and  bleed 
afresh.  She  did  not  wish  to  put  off  the  Dale- 
carlian  costume,  which  recalled  happier  days; 
she  kept  it  to  remind  her  of  her  wrongs.  In 
other  ways  she  was  more  tender,  more  helpful, 


1 68  CARINE. 

and  affectionate  than  ever  toward  her  parents ; 
she  did  not  wish  them  to  suffer  for  her  sadness. 
But  they  would  not  be  consoled ;  they  knew 
she  suffered,  and  they  wept.  At  times  her 
sadness  was  so  profound  that  they  feared  she 
could  not  survive. 

*'  Luckily,  about  this  time  Tegner  came  to 
Lilla-Edet.  You  know  he  is  good  and  affec- 
tionate, and  that  under  his  egotism  he  is  an 
excellent  man  —  after  dinner.  He  found  his 
niece  very  ill ;  he  saw  that  she  needed  a 
change  of  scene,  and  he  proposed  a  visit  to 
Gothenburg.  Carine  would  have  preferred  to 
remain  at  home.  Without  daring  to  own  it 
even  to  herself,  it  seemed  to  her  that  she  would 
suffer  more  where  he  was  not;  but  her  uncle 
and  her  father  insisted,  and  she  yielded. 
Without  seeing  or  speaking  with  her  false 
lover  she  left  Lilla-I^det  and  went  with  her 
uncle. 

"  I  have  told  you  all.  The  cloud  which 
overshadowed    her   reason   is  gone,  but    there 


CARINE.  169 

remains  a  profound  sadness.  She  is  indifferent 
to  everything,  flies  from  the  world  and  loves 
solitude.  At  her  uncle's  they  are  wise,  and 
never  notice  her  peculiarities ;  she  has  perfect 
liberty  in  her  actions,  her  words,  and  her 
silence,  —  you  must  have  observed  it.  She 
goes  and  comes  as  she  pleases ;  remains  shut 
up  in  her  room,  or  mingles  with  the  family. 
Little  by  little  they  can  perceive  that  this  calm 
and  peaceful  home-atmosphere  has  had  a  salu- 
tary influence  over  her  troubled  soul.  The 
bitter  part  of  her  sorrow  is  softened,  and  she 
may  recover." 


It  is  not  necessary  to  tell  what  emotions 
assailed  the  heart  of  the  listener  to  this  mel- 
ancholy tale.  Mandel  spoke  no  more ;  yet 
Marius  listened  still,  until  the  steam-whistle 
and  the  ringing  of  the  bell  were  heard. 

"They  have  passed  the  ninth  sluice,"  said 
the  captain;  "it  is  time  for  us  to  join  the 
boat.  The  portion  of  the  canal  which  follows 
is  very  different,  and  I  must  take  charge  myself 
when  we  enter  the  Wetter." 


XyZ  CARINE. 

Marius  did  not  reply.  He  remained  motion- 
less, leaning  against  a  rock,  his  head  bent  on 
his  hands,  lost  in  profound  thought. 

"  Come,"  said  Mandel,  touching  his  shoulder 
lightly. 

"Where?  Why?"  cried  Marius  with  a  wild 
air. 

"To  Stockholm,  then,"  replied  the  captain. 
"  The  sun  sets ;  it  is  true  it  will  soon  rise," 
added  he,  "but  that  is  no  reason  why  you 
should  pass  the  night  on  this  heath.     Come  ! " 

The  young  artist  arose  and  followed  the 
officer  mechanically.  He  was  a  little  like 
Carine  when  she  returned  from  the  city  and 
found  her  lover  married.  He  had  no  energy, 
no  will. 

The  night  was  passed  on  the  canal.  Al- 
though so  short,  it  seemed  very  long  to  our 
hero,  perplexed  as  he  was  by  the  most  cruel 
thoughts  which  could  agitate  a  loving  heart. 
But  in  spite  of  his  troubles  he  had  one  consola- 
tion.    Carine  had  been  unhappy,  very  unhappy 


CARINE.  173 

without  doubt,  and  he  felt  a  deep  pity  for  her ; 
but  she  had  not  been  guilty  of  any  wrong ;  and 
it  was  happiness  for  him  to  know  that  which  for 
a  loyal  and  true  heart  is  everything,  —  to  know 
that  he  could  esteem  as  much  as  he  loved. 
But  his  uncertainty  was  no  less  great ;  and  in  the 
interest  even  of  Carine  he  really  did  not  know 
what  part  to  take.  If  he  had  listened  to  his 
heart  he  would  have  returned  immediately  to 
Gothenburg.  But  how  could  he  explain  to 
Tegner  this  sudden  return?  How  would  he 
justify  it  in  Carine's  eyes?  Her  manner  toward 
him  had  never  encouraged  him  to  be  attentive 
to  her.  Had  she  ever  shown  him  anything  but 
coldness  and  indifference,  even  aversion?  And 
had  he  any  right  to  console  her?  On  the  other 
hand  it  was  evident  to  him  that  Carine  suffered 
more  than  was  right,  and  that  her  grief  was 
more  in  her  head  than  her  heart.  At  her  age 
there  is  no  wound  so  deep  that  it  cannot  be 
healed,  and  she  would  some  day  realize  that 
Olaf  was  unworthy.     Ah,  now  that  he  knew  the 


174  CARINE. 

secret  of  her  sadness,  how  he  would  Uke  to 
speak  consoHng  words  to  her,  —  words  which 
would  calm  her  irritation  and  soften  her  re- 
grets !  But  would  she  ever  listen  to  him  ? 
Alas,  he  knew  not. 

Aurora  already  threw  her  silvery  light  over 
the  forests,  lakes,  and  mountains,  and  still 
Marius  was  wrapped  in  revery,  as  uncertain, 
troubled,  and  vague  as  ever.  All  the  other 
passengers  had  retired  to  their  cabins  to  sleep 
away  the  hours  that  in  this  radiant  season  they 
call  night.  Only  our  young  friend  remained  on 
deck.  He  had  not  slept  the  previous  night, 
and  sad  as  he  felt  he  could  not  prevent  the 
goddess  of  slumber  from  enveloping  him  in  her 
dusky  mantle  j  he  gradually  drooped,  —  over- 
come with  fatigue.  A  sailor  who  passed  by 
threw  over  him  a  pilot-cloth,  and  for  several 
hours  Marius  forgot  the  world  —  and  Carine. 

When  he  awoke  it  was  broad  daylight,  for 
the  sun  was  already  high  in  the  heavens.  He 
saw  the  captain  by  his  side. 


CARINB.  175 

"Well,  how  goes  it?"  said  the  Swede,  giving 
him  his  hand  in  hearty  greeting. 

"  I  have  slept,"  murmured  Marius,  shrugging 
his  shoulders. 

" That  is  a  good  sign,"  said  Mandel,  "espe- 


cially if  your  sleep  has  been  dreamless.  But 
shake  your  feathers  and  walk  a  little,  for  you 
have  taken  a  very  good  way  to  get  the  rheuma- 
tism." 

Marius    arose,    and    threw   a   rapid    glance 
around  him.     The  "  Edda,"  under  a  fresh  west 


176  CARINE. 

wind,  glided  lightly  over  the  waters  of  Lake 
Wetter,  which  still  bears  the  superstitions  and 
terrors  of  ancient  days.  Here,  perhaps,  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  scenes  of  a  Swedish 
voyage.  The  foliage  of  the  oaks,  the  birch- 
trees,  and  the  elms  intermingle  with  the  pines, 
forming  a  mass  of  verdure  which  is  lovely  in- 
deed, and  the  lofty  banks  have  an  incomparable 
grandeur  and  majesty.  In  face  of  these  beau- 
tiful scenes  the  artist  awoke  in  the  man,  and 
our  hero  could  not  refrain  from  taking  a  lively 
interest  in  this  unrivalled  display  of  grandeur 
and  beauty. 

Soon  detonations,  hollow  and  irregular,  like 
the  sound  of  distant  artillery,  came  from  the 
bosom  of  the  waves.  "The  Undine  of  the 
Lake,  the  Sea  Nymph,  the  Spirit  of  the 
Wetter,"  explained  the  captain.  "She  fore- 
sees the  approach  of  a  storm,  and  will  soon 
fly  from  her  palaces,  her  gardens,  and  her 
castles  to  seek  in  the  depths  of  the  abyss  a 
sure  refuge." 


CARINE  I -J  "J 

"Where  then  are  her  gardens,  her  palaces, 
and  her  castles?"  demanded  Marius,  "for  1 
have  not  seen  them." 

The  air  was  calm,  the  atmosphere  serene, 
and  the  sun  was  encircled  by  a  girdle  of  vapor, 
which  often  promises  a  fine  day.  Suddenly  the 
lake  was  transformed  :  the  horizon  dilated,  the 
waves  seemed  to  touch  the  clouds  ,  and  strange 
phantoms,  weird  and  marvellous,  seemed  to 
float  between  heaven  and  earth  before  the 
astonished  eyes  of  the  travellers. 

Marius,  who  had  seen  the  beautiful  mirage 
which  misleads  the  steps  of  the  hunter  in  the 
plain  de  la  Crau  wimense,  who  had  seen  in 
the  Strait  of  Messina  the  wonderful  phenomena 
of  the  Fata  Morgana,  was  nevertheless  struck 
with  astonishment  on  perceiving  in  the  distance 
these  gothic  castles,  these  impregnable  for- 
tresses, which  seemed  to  float  in  the  air,  in  the 
clouds,  and  over  the  mountains.  He  was 
astonished,  and  asked  himself  if  in  the  midst 
of  these  apparitions  he  would  not  at  last  per- 


178  CARINE. 

ceive  the  enchanting  and  lovely  form  of  Carine  ? 
It  seemed  a  fitting  place  for  her  in  this  en- 
chanted world  of  fairy  palaces.  But  while  he 
still  sought  her  form  in  this  magic  scene  the 
atmosphere  became  troubled ;  the  tempest 
descended  in  fury,  the  castles  and  palaces 
faded  silently  away,  and  the  beautiful  vision 
vanished. 

The  "  Edda,"  which  was  elegantly  built,  but 
not  strong  enough  to  brave  a  tempest,  ap- 
proached the  east  shore  of  the  lake,  near  the 
walls  of  the  ancient  city  of  Wadstena,  where 
may  still  be  found  the  noble  ruins  of  a  convent, 
founded  ages  ago  by  Saint  Brigitta,  who  was 
the  daughter  of  a  king.  The  ruins  are  beauti- 
ful, and  not  less  celebrated.  Marius  said  he 
wished  to  stop  and  visit  them,  to  seek  for  traces 
of  the  vanished  splendor  which  had  formerly 
rendered  Wadstena  so  famous.  He  added  that 
he  found  the  vessel  light,  the  waves  heavy,  and 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  continue  his  voyage 
that  day. 


CARINE.  179 

"Well,  go  if  you  must,"  said  Mandel,  as  he 
saw  the  trunk  of  our  hero  put  on  shore.  "  Go, 
and  may  God  guide  you  !  One  cannot  avoid 
destiny." 

Marius  had  not  yet  decided  what  to  do,  and 
he  walked  carelessly  through  the  town  until  he 
came  to  a  modest  inn  near  the  ruins  of  the 
convent.  Here  he  decided  to  remain,  at  least 
for  the  present.  Reason  told  him  it  would 
be  the  height  of  folly  to  return  to  Gothenburg, 
but  he  did  not  wish  to  go  farther  away  from  her. 
He  could  see  the  noble  ruins  from  his  window, 
and  spent  much  time  musing  on  their  former 
grandeur.  To-day  there  remained  very  little  but 
the  abbey,  besides  the  cell  and  oratory  of  the 
saint.  Many  times  he  visited  the  ruins,  and  he 
never  crossed  their  threshold  without  feeling  a 
profound  and  pious  emotion.  If  he  could  not 
regain  his  calmness  of  mind,  which  seemed  to 
have  fled  from  him,  he  still  sought  at  least  to 
hear  the  mysterious  murmur  of  that  spirit 
which   passed  over   him   like  a  breath  in  his 


l8o       ,  CARINE. 

dreams  of  Saint  Brigitta,  declaring  to  him  the 
revelation  so  celebrated  in  the  Scandinavian 
world. 

Our  young  friend  remained  five  days  in 
Wadstena.  It  was  the  season  of  the  year 
in  which  formerly  came  the  devout  pilgrims ; 
and  in  the  middle  ages  a  pilgrimage  to  this 
place  ranked  second  only  to  a  voyage  to  Rome 
or  Palestine ;  but  the  pilgrims  were  godly  men 
and  women,  and  seldom  carried  to  the  feet  of 
Saint  Brigitta  hearts  troubled  by  earthly  pas- 
sions like  that  of  Marius.  At  the  end  of  five 
days  his  impatience  was  greater  than  his  will; 
and  if  he  still  resisted  his  desire  to  join  Carine, 
he  decided  at  least  to  abbreviate  the  distance 
which  separated  them.  He  once  more  em- 
barked on  the  "  Edda,"  which  after  touching 
at  Stockholm  returned  to  her  station  at  Gothen- 
burg. 

"  I  hoped  to  see  you  to-day,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, receiving  him  at  the  top  of  the  ladder. 
"You  are  very  welcome." 


CARINE.  IS  I 

The  men  shook  hands  warmly.  They  had 
both  loved :  this  was  enough  to  make  them 
sympathetic. 

"Do  you  return  to  Gothenburg?"  asked 
Mandel. 

"  No,"  said  Marius,  shaking  his  head  ;  "  I 
do  not  go  so  far  as  that  —  yet." 

"  Where  are  you  going,  then  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  yet  myself,  but  not  far  from 
herr 

He  passed  a  day  on  board  the  "  Edda,"  and 
then  said  good-by  to  his  friend  again,  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountains  of  Trolhatta. 

There  is  not  perhaps  in  all  Sweden  a  land- 
scape more  austere,  more  grand,  and  at  the 
same  time  more  melancholy  than  this  region  of 
Trolhatta.  In  the  distance  a  loud  murmur  is 
heard ;  it  increases  as  one  draws  nearer,  and 
sounds  like  distant  thunder.  Soon  the  mighty 
voice  of  the  cataract  becomes  more  distinct ; 
the  solitude  is  filled  with  the  sound  of  rushing 


152  CARINE. 

waters ;  nothing  can  yet  be  seen,  —  as  yet  one 
hears  it  only.  Soon  the  whole  mountain  seems 
to  be  covered  with  a  cloud  of  spouting,  dashing 
dust;  but  the  waterfalls  still  elude  the  sight. 
For  a  long  time  one  must  scale  the  highest, 
steepest  rocks  in  the  midst  of  fallen  trunks  of 
immense  trees,  of  thorn  bushes  and  stunted 
birches.  At  last  one  finds  himself  in  face  of 
this  wonder  !  Over  heaps  of  jagged  rocks  a 
river  precipitates  itself,  furiour:,  foaming,  and 
tormented  in  its  narrow  bed,  torn  by  the  bris- 
tling, pointed  rocks,  unquiet,  violent  as  a  steed 
which  rears  and  escapes  in  a  moment  of  fury 
or  fright,  from  a  height  of  one  hundred  feet  it  is 
engulfed  in  the  abyss  below.  The  scene  is  ter- 
rible, yet  beautiful  !  Imagine  an  avalanche  of 
foam,  a  torrent  of  snow,  —  of  liquid  snow,  —  a 
dazzling  hell  of  water  !  Some  distance  below 
the  abyss,  burying  all  this  foam  and  wrath,  the 
torrent  becomes  suddenly  calm  and  limpid. 
After  having  vanquished  all,  it  is  itself  van- 
quished.    The  inise  en  scene  is  admirably  sus- 


CARINE.  183 

tained,  and  around  the  cataracts  the  forest-trees 
and  shrubs  crown  the  steep  banks  with  their 
varied  foliage.  Here  all  the  different  species 
mix  and  marry.  The  silvery  willows  lean  over 
almost  into  the  foam  of  the  torrent,  trailing 
their  long  weeping  branches  in  the  water ;  the 
beeches,  with  their  smooth,  shining,  and  mot- 
tled bark,  struggle  for  place  side  by  side  with 
the  rugged  oaks ;  nor  do  the  graceful  elms 
shrink  from  their  neighbors  the  stately  pines. 
In  the  bosom  even  of  the  rushing,  foaming 
water,  where  a  little  earth  was  heaped  up 
among  the  stones  and  pebbles,  grew  different 
shrubs  and  bushes  peculiar  to  this  northern 
climate,  —  silver  poplars  and  the  weeping  ash, 
whose  branches  and  leaves  scattered  and  floated 
in  the  wind.  Here  and  there  even  in  the  midst 
of  the  torrent,  in  the  bosom  of  the  dashing, 
tumbling  waves,  little  verdant  islets  sprang  up, 
like  the  baskets  of  flowers  that  the  water 
nymphs  of  the  cascade  bear  in  their  arms. 
The  Flora  of  the  waters  loosed  her  girdle  over 


184  CARINE. 

them,  their  variegated  banks  contrasting  with 
the  severe  nakedness  of  the  grand  rocks  which 
surrounded  them. 

The  cataracts  of  Trolhatta  form  in  them- 
selves a  Uttle  world.  Divided  into  five  branches 
which  swerve,  then  reunite  in  such  a  way  as  to 
resemble  a  double  fan,  they  occupy  a  vast 
space  on  the  mountain ;  and  the  artist,  the 
poet,  the  unhappy  lover,  or  the  enthusiastic 
lover  of  Nature  can  pass  there  long  days,  nour- 
ishing his  dreams,  his  thoughts,  his  desires,  and 
his  illusions.  From  time  immemorial,  in  the 
bosom  of  this  strange  freak  of  nature,  the  weird 
and  gigantic  imagination  of  the  North  has 
exalted  the  name  alone  of  Trolhatta,  which 
means  Terreur  des  Sorciers,  the  name  indicat- 
ing the  role  that  the  marvellous  plays  in  its 
history.  The  Norse  legends  of  this  region  tell 
us  of  miracles  and  enchantments  more  or  less 
terrible ;  of  lovely  princesses  carried  off  by 
sorcerers ;  of  murdered  travellers ;  of  mis- 
chievous dwarfs ;    of   knightly    heroes    seeking 


CARINE.  185 

their  assistance  to  deliver  some  fair  lady  im- 
prisoned by  a  stern  father;  of  giants  who 
thought  nothing  of  hurling  the  highest  moun- 
tain against  a  foe ;  and  of  men  swallowed  up 
in  the  depths  of  the  treacherous  earth,  which 
opened  to  receive  them.  But  from  all  these 
marvellous  stories,  like  the  country  to  which  they 
belong,  there  exhales  a  wild  and  poetic  charm. 
Even  a  stranger  feels  this  influence ;  and  how 
much  more  must  a  native  of  this  far  northern 
clime  feel  penetrated  with  what  the  ancients 
call  so  aptly  "  the  genius  of  the  place." 

Gradually  a  certain  calm  fell  on  our  hero's 
troubled  soul.  As  he  slowly  recovered  the 
balance  of  his  mind,  he  no  longer  thought  des- 
pairingly of  Carine ;  he  could  not  believe  that 
she  would  persist  in  keeping  him  at  a  distance. 
He  said  to  himself  that  she  would  yet  respond 
to  his  love,  —  that  love  would  create  love.  He 
would  make  her  forget  all  she  had  suffered,  and 
create  in  her  a  new  soul,  a  new  heart !  But  he 
well  knew  that  with  an  organization  so  timid, 


1 86  CARINE 

delicate,  and  tender,  it  would  not  do  to  be  pre- 
cipitate ;  he  must  wait  until  the  time  came 
when  she  would  voluntarily  yield.  So  reasoned 
this  grand  master  of  female  hearts  !  A  ray  of 
hope,  feeble  and  uncertain,  like  the  first  light 
of  dawn,  began  to  illumine  his  heart.  Courage 
returned  with  hope.  He  had  done  almost 
nothing  since  his  arrival  in  Sweden  ;  but  now  he 
returned  to  his  work  with  new  ardor.  I^abor  ! 
,is  it  not  always  the  great  consoler  of  noble  and 
valiant  natures? 

The  place  where  Marius  found  himself  was 
in  every  way  propitious  to  his  studies ;  here  he 
found  all  the  beauties  for  which  he  had  come 
to  study  in  the  North,  —  the  sombre  forests, 
the  severe  aspect  of  the  mountains,  the  grand 
vegetation  nourished  by  the  snow  and  the 
winter,  the  rocks  with  their  metallic  tints, 
and  the  beautiful  cascades  leaping  from  the 
mountain's  height  into  the  gigantic  basins  of 
granite.  He  made  no  more  plans;  for  the 
present  he  drifted.     Where  could  he  be  better 


CARIXE.  187 

situated  to  work  and  to  wait?  The  "Edda" 
passed  the  Trolhatta  every  ten  days,  and 
Captain  Mandel  never  went  to  Gothenburg 
without  seeing  Tegner  and  his  family.  Thus 
our   young   friend    could    often   have    news    of 


Carine  :  was  not  that  what  he  most  desired  ? 
He  arranged  his  time  as  well  as  possible,  and 
began  a  series  of  curious  studies  (which  later 
on  proved  very  valuable  to  him).  He  was  not 
unhappy,  for  he  was  not  devoid  of  hope  ;  and 
even   an  unrequited   love   may  suffice  to  fill  a 


1 88  CARINE. 

life,  —  for  those  who  truly  love  find  a  charm 
in  mere  existence. 

The  first  week  proved  uneventful,  and  was 
passed  in  the  bosom  of  the  most  profound 
solitude  that  Marius  had  ever  known.  He 
had  left  the  little  inn  at  Trolhatta,  for  it  was 
too  much  frequented  by  English  travellers,  and 
their  company  was  distasteful  to  him.  They 
treated  the  world  like  a  conquered  country, 
were  too  arrogant,  and  were  also  noisy  and 
blustering,  as  they  often  are  in  strange  lands 
(seeming  to  look  down  on  all  foreigners  be- 
cause, forsooth,  they  are  not  English),  although 
they  are  usually  cold  and  reserved  at  home. 
So  our  hero  sought  lodgings  elsewhere,  and 
established  himself  at  some  distance  from  the 
village,  in  the  home  of  a  simple  peasant,  whose 
good  wife  thought  she  was  making  a  golden 
bargain  by  renting  him  half  of  their  cottage 
at  five  francs  per  week.  He  arranged  in  an 
empty  granary  a  studio  lighted  from  the  north, 
with  the  most  admirable  and  the  purest  light 


CARINE.  189 

that  the  most  fastidious  artist  could  desire. 
When  he  had  worked  eight  days,  and  had  just 
finished  a  beautiful  picture  of  the  grand  cas- 
cade, and  was  busily  criticising  it,  he  looked 
up  and  perceived,  smiling  at  the  entrance 
(when  he  least  expected  him),  his  friend 
Petrus  Mandel. 


"You  are  surprised?"  said  the  captain; 
"  and  I  also.  I  did  not  expect  to  be  here  so 
soon ;  we  are  twenty- four  hours  ahead  of  time, 
and  that  for  various  reasons  too  long  to 
enumerate." 

"  And  which  I  am  not  curious  to  hear,"  said 
Marius,  greeting  him  warmly. 

"Very  well,  then,  that  suits  me.  But  give 
me  a  cigar,  and  order  me  a  cup  of  tea ;  for  I 


192  C.ARINE. 

have  not  taken  anything  to-day,  and  we  leave 
in  an  hour." 

"And  Carine?"  asked  Marius. 

"  Oh,  there  is  some  news." 

"  Wretch  !  not  to  have  told  me  !  " 

"  I  came  as  soon  as  possible." 

"You  have  seen  her?" 

"  No ;  and  I  know  no  one  in  Gothenburg 
at  present  who  sees  her." 

"  I  beg  you  to  explain,"  cried  Marius. 

"  Very  well.     Carine  has  left  her  uncle's  !  " 

"Gone?" 

"You  have  said  it." 

"  How  long  since  ?  " 

"  Four  or  five  days." 

"  Does  any  one  know  where  she  has  gone  ?  " 

"Not  I,  at  least." 

"Then  you  have  not  the  details?" 

"  No  ;  I  know  only  that  she  is  much  better." 

Marius  experienced  an  indefinable  feeling  of 
well  being,  —  like  a  drowning  man,  who  has 
remained  a  long   time   under  water,   and   who 


CARINE  193 

returns  to  the  fresh  air  and  to  the  sweet  light. 
Now  that  Mandel  had  told  him  all  he  knew, 
and  he  had  drawn  from  him  all  he  could, 
Marius  experienced  an  imperious  desire  to  be 
alone.  Thus,  in  spite  of  his  sincere  friendship 
for  the  young  Swede,  it  was  not  without  a 
secret  pleasure  that  he  saw  hmi  draw  out  his 
watch,  and  on  perceiving  the  time  take  his 
hat,  and,  pressing  his  friend's  hand  warmly, 
say,  "  Adieu,  my  dear  boy.  I  must  go ;  it  will 
not  do  to  keep  my  boat  waiting."  He  quickly 
took  his  departure. 

Marius  was  now  both  glad  and  sorry,  —  glad 
to  know  that  Carine  was  better,  and  that  now 
he  might  hope  one  day  to  see  her  in  complete 
health,  not  only  of  body  but  of  mind  ;  unhappy, 
because  he  knew  not  where  she  was,  —  and  for 
those  who  love,  uncertainty  is  a  bitter  torment. 
Yet  he  did  not  wish  to  return  to  Gothenburg. 
He  told  himself,  not  without  reason,  that  he 
had  no  right  to  question  Tegner,  to  ask  him 
to  unfold  family  secrets  to  a  stranger,  or  to  try 
13 


194  CARINE 

and  force  a  confidence  that  had  not  been  given 
voluntarily.  If  he  hoped  to  learn  anything,  it 
was  by  the  interposition  of  the  captain,  who 
was  a  mutual  friend,  well  acquainted  with  all 
the  circumstances. 

The  result  of  these  meditations  was  that 
Marius  remained  at  Trolhatta,  and  finished 
his  large  picture.  It  was  a  simple  study  of  the 
landscape,  but  was  painted  m  such  a  free  and 
powerful  style,  that  on  beholding  it  one  in- 
stinctively felt  the  master,  for  there  was  genius 
in  it.  He  found,  however  (was  this  a  lover's 
idea,  or  was  it  the  idea  of  an  artist?),  that 
without  a  human  figure,  animated  with  life. 
Nature  was  cold  and  empty.  "  A  figure  would 
look  so  well,"  thought  he,  "  at  the  base  of  this 
rock  ;  there,  where  the  sunlight  brightens  and 
glances  over  the  transparent  cascade,  there  is 
the  place  ! "  Our  artist  was  prompt  to  exe- 
cute :  with  him,  to  think  was  to  act.  He  took 
his  palette  and  his  brushes,  and  set  to  work. 

The  figure  which  soon  began  to  appear  under 


CARINE.  195 

his  skilful  fingers,  —  will  our  readers  need  to 
see  it,  to  divine  who  it  was?  It  was  the  same 
which  once  already,  under  the  light  of  the 
family  lamp,  in  face  even  of  the  charming 
model,  he  had  drawn  with  so  much  pleasure 
and  interest.  The  picturesque  Dalecarlian 
costume  accorded  well  with  the  landscape  in 
the  midst  of  which  he  painted  it ;  it  seemed 
very  natural  for  him  to  clothe  her  in  that  cos- 
tume here.  The  beautiful  face  which  he  had 
drawn  more  than  once  before  seemed  to  beam 
with  happiness ;  for  now  it  was  not  the  care- 
worn, despairing  maiden  :  it  was  a  new  Canne, 
full  of  youth  and  life,  and  bearing  on  her  coun- 
tenance the  brilliant  hue  of  health.  It  was 
Carine  as  she  would  have  been  if  her  cruel 
destiny  —  a  wicked  man  —  had  not  destroyed 
her  budding  beauty  in  the  morning  of  her 
springtime. 

Danglade  was  not  a  portrait  painter,  and  I 
dare  say  a  critic  might  have  found  some  flaw  in 
his  picture  ;  but  one  felt  in  this  work  a  certain 


196  CARINE. 

passion  and  sincerity  which  art  alone  cannot 
give.  He  had  painted  the  landscape  in  the 
open  air  and  from  Nature ;  the  portrait  in  his 
studio,  from  memory.  Perhaps  the  result  of 
this  was  a  certain  discord  in  the  ensemble; 
some  retouches  were  still  necessary  to  obtain 
that  general  harmony  without  which  no  picture 
is  perfect.  He  had  a  very  simple  way  to  arrive 
at  the  desired  result.  It  was  to  take  the  picture 
to  the  same  place  where  he  had  painted  it,  and 
to  give  to  the  whole  (the  sky,  the  trees,  and  the 
rocks)  a  last  touch  of  the  brush,  —  those  su- 
preme retouches  which  perfect  and  harmonize 
a  work,  even  change  its  quality,  and  complete 
the  seal  of  a  powerful  whole.  Marius  resolved 
to  complete  his  work  on  the  spot  whence  he 
had  taken  his  point  de  vitc. 

It  was  on  one  of  those  lovely  little  islands  of 
Trolhatta,  joined  to  the  shore  by  a  picturesque 
alpine  bridge,  which  shakes  and  trembles  under 
the  passer's  feet.  Crossing  this  frail  bridge  the 
path  leads  to  the  promontory,  where  our  artist 


CARINE.  197 

had  established  himself  opposite  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  the  five  cascades.  This  path- 
way was  surrounded  by  a  dense  mass  of  foliage, 
which  prevented  one  seeing  ten  steps  ahead, 
and  ended  at  an  immense  rock  straight  as  a 
wall ;  behind  the  rock  there  was  a  little  espla- 
nade, whence  the  view  was  beautiful  and  exten- 
sive, taking  in  the  whole  majesty  of  the  cata- 
racts. The  peasant  at  whose  cottage  Marius 
lodged  knew  the  place  well,  for  there  he  had 
often  carried  his  lodger's  easel,  camp-stool,  and 
canvas,  —  for  the  artist  called  this  place  his 
open-air  studio.  Here  he  sent  his  picture,  then, 
for  the  last  time.  The  honest  peasant,  not 
knowing  how  to  set  up  the  canvas,  contented 
himself  with  placing  it  at  the  foot  of  the  easel 
near  the  rock ;  and  putting  the  palette  and  the 
box  of  colors  near  by  he  returned  to  his  work, 
leaving  all  in  God's  care,  which  is  sufficient  in 
this  neighborhood,  where  dishonesty  is  almost 
unknown,  —  here  especially  where  men  are  not 
numerous. 


198  CARINE. 

Marius  remained  in  his  room  a  little  later 
than  usual.  At  first  he  had  been  detained  by 
Mandel ;  then  he  had  taken  some  time  to  write 
letters  home  to  his  parents,  who  had  been 
sadly  neglected  since  his  arrival  in  Sweden ; 
lastly,  he  rested  because  he  had  so  little  to  do, 
keeping  back  the  moment,  like  an  epicure  with 
a  dainty  dish,  so  as  to  enjoy  it  longer,  —  tast- 
ing it  in  advance.  Toward  noon  he  sealed  his 
letters,  locked  his  trunks,  told  the  peasant  to 
give  him  his  account  and  to  come  after  the 
picture  about  four  o'clock ;  then  he  took  the 
])ath  to  the  cascade.  He  lingered  some  time 
on  the  border  of  the  torrent,  filling  his  soul 
with  the  grand  spectacle  offered  to  his  vision, 
with  concentrated  and  absorbed  attention,  — 
for  he  wished  to  seize  all  the  details,  and  to 
engrave  this  scene  forever  on  his  memory.  At 
last  he  crossed  the  little  bridge,  and,  hastening 
his  steps,  entered  the  pathway  which  led  to  the 
esplanade  where  he  had  established  his  obser- 
vatory.    Imagine  his  astonishment  on  behold- 


CARINE.  199 

ing  a  woman  before  his  picture  !  She  seemed 
to  be  examining  it  with  profound  attention ; 
that  is,  he  judged  so  by  her  attitude,  for  he 
could  not  see  her  face.  But  her  bending  head, 
her  arms  hanging  down  full  length,  —  in  a 
word,  her  motionless  and  statue-like  form 
showed  that  her  whole  soul  had  passed  into 
her  eyes.  This  woman  appeared  to  be  young, 
from  the  svelte  elegance  of  her  form.  She  was 
very  simply  clad  in  a  dress  of  dark  stuff.  It 
was  so  sombre  that  it  might  have  passed  for  a 
mourning  robe  (mourning  for  her  youth  and 
for  her  love),  and  falling  by  a  single  plait  from 
her  shoulders  to  her  feet. 

Our  hero's  heart  beat  violently.  What  would 
he  have  given  to  see  her  eyes,  her  neck,  or 
even  a  floating  tress  of  her  hair  !  Rut  a  little 
silk  fichu  which  covered  her  shoulders  reached 
almost  to  her  ears,  and  a  large  straw  hat 
trimmed  with  black  lace  covered  her  head. 
It  was  impossible  to  discover  who  she  was  at 
this  distance.     At  last  Marius,  whose  southern 


200  -  CARINE. 

temperament  did  not  include  patience  among 
the  number  of  his  virtues,  advanced  resolutely 
toward  the  picture.  At  the  sound  of  his  steps, 
which  he  did  not  try  to  conceal  (for  he  did 
not  wish  to  surprise  the  stranger  too  suddenly), 
the  unknown  turned. 

It  was  Carine  ! 

On  seeing  the  young  girl,  with  a  gesture 
stronger  than  his  will,  by  an  impulse  more 
prompt  than  his  thoughts,  Marius  held  out 
both  arms  and  bounded  toward  her.  Carine 
on  the  contrary,  on  perceiving  him,  became 
deathly  pale ;  her  knees  trembled,  and  she 
looked  around  for  a  support  in  vain.  Dan- 
glade  approached,  took  her  hand  and  drew 
it  within  his  trembling  arm. 

"  Me  ? "  cried  Carine  in  a  feeble  voice, 
pointing  to  the  young  Dalecarlian  seated  on 
a  rock  in  the  foreground  of  the  picture. 
"Me?"  repeated  she,  looking  at  the  artist. 

"Yes,  you!"  replied  he,  warmly.  "Yes, 
Carine,  you  !    always   you  !      Why  may  I    not 


CARINE.  20 1 

fill  my  picture  with  tiie  image  of  one  who  fills 
my  life?" 

"  Monsieur  !  Monsieur  !  "  cried  the  maiden, 
trying  to  draw  away  her  hand. 

But  Marius  held  it  tightly  in  his,  and  would 
not  let  it  go. 

Near  them  was  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  pine- 
tree,  a  prostrate  giant,  the  roots  of  which  like 
long  hair  floated  in  the  rushing  waters.  Her 
lover  placed  her  on  this  rustic  seat  and  seated 
himself  by  her  side,  still  holding  tightly  her 
little  hand,  for  he  was  resolved  she  should  not 
escape  him  this  time.  They  were  silent  a  few 
moments  :  it  was  enough  for  him  to  look  at  her 
for  the  present.  Carine  did  not  speak,  and  on 
her  beautiful  face  was  an  expression  of  fear,  — 
with  which,  however,  already  mingled  a  little 
joy. 

Marius  well  understood  what  tact  and  deli- 
cacy he  would  need  to  tame,  little  by  little, 
this  timid  gazelle.  He  began,  therefore,  by 
not    speaking   of  themselves ;    it   was    without 


202  CARINE. 

doubt  the  best  way  to  reassure  her.  He  asked 
news  of  Tegner,  of  her  aunt,  and  of  Elfrida. 
At  first  greatly  troubled,  Carine  gradually  be 
came  self-possessed,  and  soon  conversed  in  a 
more  rational  manner  than  Marius  had  ever 
before  heard  her.  When  he  believed  that  he 
had  sufficiently  put  to  flight  her  fears,  he  gave 
to  their  conversation  a  more  intimate  tone. 

"  You  were  suffering,"  said  he,  "  when  I  met 
you  at  Gothenburg?" 

Perhaps  the  remembrance  of  her  grief  was 
still  too  fresh  and  too  bitter,  for  on  hearing 
these  words  Carine  started  from  her  seat  as  if 
stung  by  a  serpent,  and  essayed  to  flee;  but 
Marius  held  her  hand  tightly,  and  gently  forced 
her  to  sit  down  again  and  listen  to  him. 

"Why  do  you  wish  to  fly  from  me?"  said 
he.     "Am  I  not  your  friend?" 

"  My  friend  I  "  said  Carine,  hanging  her  head 
with  an  air  of  profound  melancholy.  "  You 
appear  to  know  my  history.  Well,  then,  you 
must  know  that  I  have  no  friends." 


CARINE.  203 

"  Do  not  be  ungrateful,"  replied  he,  still 
holding  her  hand.  "Yes,  I  know  all,"  con- 
tinued he,  looking  at  her  fixedly. 

"Then  you  know  a  sad  history,"  and  Carine 
blushed  deeply. 

"  Yes,  sad  for  him  who  has  made  you  suffer." 

"  Oh,  do  not  attack  him  !  "  cried  she ;  "  that 
is  no  consolation  to  me." 

"  I  know  that  you  have  a  noble  and  generous 
nature ;  but  do  you  think  God  wills  you  to 
condemn  not  only  yourself  but  others  to  per- 
petual mourning?  " 

Carine  did  not  reply,  but  hung  her  head. 

"  Because  your  first  experience  has  been  un- 
fortunate," continued  he,  "  is  that  any  reason 
why  you  should  despair?" 

"  One  loves  but  once,"  murmured  the 
maiden. 

"And  are  you  sure  that  you  really  loved? 
Is  it  then  really  a  serious  love,  —  this  first  ten- 
der experience  of  a  young  heart  that  hardly 
knows  itself,  and,  like  the  wandering  shoots  of 


204  CARINE. 

your  hop-vines,  attaches  itself  to  the  first  object 
it  meets." 

Carine  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven,  —  her 
lovely  blue  eyes,  wet  with  tears,  —  as  if  to  call 
it  to  witness  the  injustice  of  these  words,  and 
to  prove  the  ardor  and  sincerity  of  the  senti- 
ment which  had  inspired  her  youth. 

"  But  at  present,  at  least,  you  do  not  love 
him?"  asked  Marius,  anxiously. 

"  No,"  replied  she,  with  more  firmness  than 
she  had  yet  shown. 

"And  you  cannot  live  without  love?  " 

Carine  blushed  and  hung  her  head,  and  an 
expression  of  unspeakable  melancholy  stole 
over  her  face.  "  The  tree  struck  by  a  thunder- 
bolt," said  she,  "bears  never  again  flowers  or 
leaves  ! " 

"  Ah,  no  doubt  it  is  thus  when  celestial  fire 
has  devoured  its  sap  and  drained  its  life ;  but 
when  it  only  strikes  the  branches,  then  when 
the  springtime  comes  again  it  is  covered  with 
buds  and  blossoms,  and  reclothed  with  leaves." 


CARINE.  205 

The  maiden  looked  at  this  very  persistent 
youth  wonderingly ;  then  blushed,  and  turned 
away  her  head. 

"  Carine,"  said  Marius,  drawing  a  little 
nearer,  "  shall  I  offend  you  if  I  tell  you  that 
the  first  moment  I  saw  you,  I  was  attracted 
toward  you  by  an  ardent  sympathy,  and  that 
ever  since  this  feeling  has  increased?" 

"  Oh,  how  can  I  believe  you  ?  I  am  so  un- 
worthy of  such  sentiments  !  " 

"  That  is  not  the  question,"  said  he,  smiling  ; 
"  no  one  can  ever  give  a  reason  for  loving." 

Carine  became  agitated,  and  her  heart  beat 
violendy. 

"  Do  you  remember,"  continued  he,  "  the 
first  day  I  arrived  at  Gothenburg?  " 

"  Yes ;  they  had  spoken  of  you.  I  did  not 
come  down,  for  I  did  not  wish  to  meet  a 
stranger." 

"  On  that  day,"  said  Marius,  "  I  heard  your 
name  twice.  I  thought  it  sweet ;  it  seemed  to 
caress  my  ear,  and  stirred  some  strange  feeling 


206  CARINE. 

in  my  heart.  I  had  not  yet  seen  you,  anci  yet  1 
was  interested  in  you.  Perhaps  that  was  the 
dawn  of  my  love.  The  night  came.  I  could 
not  sleep  in  this  strange  country  where  It  was 
always  light.  Leaning  from  the  balcony,  I  saw 
you  in  the  garden  ;  you  seemed  to  me  beautiful 
as  a  dream-maiden,  —  pensive  as  Melancholy, 
sad  as  Niobe.  I  was  young ;  I  had  never 
loved ;  and  my  heart  went  out  into  your  keep- 
ing,—  and  you  have  had  it  ever  since." 

Carine  raised  her  hand  as  if  to  warn  him  to 
speak  no  more. 

"  The  next  day,"  continued  the  young  man, 
who  was  not  so  easily  silenced,  "  the  next  day 
I  saw  you  again.  From  that  moment  I  could 
not  turn  away  my  eyes  from  your  dear  face. 
To  me  you  were  the  only  woman  in  the  world. 
You  were  for  me  a  radiant  image  of  beauty. 
In  a  word,  I  loved  you.  And  yet,  cruel  girl 
that  you  were,  nothing  seemed  to  touch  you  ; 
my  attentions  seemed  to  irritate  you,  and  my 
sympathy  for  you  was  only  equalled  by  your 
antipathy  for  me." 


CARINE.  207 

"  Antipathy  !  Ah,  it  was  necessary  to  make 
you  think  so,"  cried  Carine.  "  If  you  had 
known —  " 

"  Do  not  fear.  I  did  not  know.  I  was  in 
despair;  and  as  I  could  not  forget  you  I  re- 
solved to  fly  from  you." 

"  When  I  knew  it,"  said  Carine,  with  a  touch- 
ing simplicity,  "  it  was  too  late ;  you  had 
gone  !  " 

"  And  you  regretted  me  ?  Tell  me  that  you 
missed  me  !  " 

"  The  house  seemed  very  empty,"  replied 
the  maiden,  blushing. 

"  But  I  did  not  lose  you  entirely,"  said 
Marius,  "  for  I  carried  your  image  and  your 
name  everywhere.  The  captain  of  the  '  Edda,' 
Petrus  Mandel,  is  a  friend  of  your  family; 
he  knew  your  history,  and  I  learned  it  from 
him." 

A  vivid  blush  covered  the  young  girl's  face, 
and  she  turned  away,  saying,  "  He  did  wrong 
to  tell  you." 


208,  CARINE 

"  Ahj'Carine,  beloved  !  do  not  blush  for  thy 
virtue ;  do  not  blush  for  the  noble  and  gener- 
ous devotion  of  thy  soul ! "  cried  her  lover, 
with  a  fire  which  he  could  not  master.  "  Few 
women  have  suffered  such  wrong ;  no  one  has 
been  more  basely  deceived ;  believe  me,  he 
was  never  worthy,  —  your  idol  was  but  clay. 
I  am  sure  you  already  perceive  that  it  was  a 
fortunate  escape ;  you  never  would  have  been 
happy  as  his  wife,  for  you  are  his  superior  in 
every  way.  Do  not  regret  these  trials  out  of 
which  you  have  come  purified,  and  for  which 
God  will  perhaps  permit  me  to  recompense 
thee  with  my  love." 

Carine,  a  litde  troubled  by  the  vehemence  of 
the  young  man,  and  by  his  ardent  language  of 
passion,  such  as  she  had  never  heard  before,  — 
Carine  trembled ;  but  she  dared  not  interrupt 
him. 

"  Ah,"  continued  he,  "  I  soon  felt  that  my 
life  was  changed  ;  that  I  lived  for  you  alone, 
and  that  at  any  cost  I  must  see  you  once  more. 


CARINE. 


209 


Perhaps  you  have  heard  your  uncle  say  that  I 
wished  to  visit  the  North,  and  to  penetrate  as 
far  as  possible  those  terrible  regions  where 
gradually  the  cold  seizes  you  and  slowly  freezes 
your  heart.  Yes,  it  was  there  I  wished  to  go, 
so  as  to  forget  you ;  but  after  having  heard 
your  history,  it  was  not  the  north  pole  that  I 
sought,  —  it  was  you  !  I  begged  Mandel  to  put 
me  on  shore,  and  I  took  the  route  to  Gothen- 
burg—  but  slowly.  I  did  not  wish  to  arrive 
too  soon.  How  did  I  know,  alas !  if  you 
desired  my  return?  How  could  I  approach 
one  who  appeared  resolved  to  fly  from  me? 
How  could  I  speak  to  one  who  desired  not  to 
listen  to  me?  I  disliked  speaking  to  your 
uncle ;  there  are  subjects  on  which  it  is  better 
to  be  silent  if  one  cannot  avow  them  to  the 
person  who  inspires  them.  I  so  much  feared 
a  cold  reception  that  though  my  desire  to 
obtain  the  end  was  great,  I  sought  every  pre- 
text to  loiter  on  the  way.  At  last,  one  day's 
journey  from  Gothenburg  I  resolved  to  make  a 
14 


2IO  CARINE. 

final  halt,  and  I  hoped  in  some  way  to  receive 
news  of  you.  To  pass  the  time  I  painted  these 
trees,  these  rocks,  and  these  cascades,  all  which 
perhaps  had  seen  you  pass  by  in  your  youthful 
beauty.  Then  I  invoked  my  memory.  You 
can  see,"  added  he,  pointing  to  the  picture, 
"  if  my  memory  was  faithful.  In  my  picture 
you  see  yourself!  " 

"  But  a  hundred  times  more  beautiful ! " 
cried  Carine,  secretly  flattered  by  this  chef- 
d'oeuvre  before  her  eyes.  "  But,"  continued 
she,  "  to  paint  thus  it  is  necessary  to  have  great 
talent." 

"  No,  it  suffices  to  love  and  —  " 

"Oh,  tell  me  no  more  !  " 

"  Because  you  know  all,  —  is  it  not  so,  dear 
girl  ?  Because  you  know  very  well  that  I  love 
you?" 

A  pale  rose-flush  tinted  the  maiden's  cheeks, 
like  the  first  rosy  light  of  dawn  touching  the 
immaculate  whiteness  of  the  snow  on  the 
mountain's  height. 


CARINE.  211 

"  Never,  never  speak  of  love  again  !  "  said 
she,  softly. 

"  Yes,  I  will,  dear  Carine.  I  will  repeat 
these  words,  '  I  love  you,  Carine  !  I  love 
you ! '  You  must  accustom  yourself  to  hear 
them." 

"And  if  I  cannot  return  your  love?" 

"  I  ask  nothing  of  you,"  said  he,  "  only  to  let 
me  love  you,  to  let  me  console  you.  For  a 
long  time  you  gave  without  receiving ;  for  the 
present,  you  can  receive  without  giving." 

"You  believe,  then,  that  I  could  be  so 
selfish?" 

"  I  forbid  you  not  to  be  !  Believe  me  al- 
ways, those  who  love  most  have  the  better 
part.  You  need  not  pity  me ;  I  am  so  happy 
you  ought  rather  to  envy  me." 

"  Dear  and  generous  friend  !  how  can  I  ever 
thank  you  enough?  "  cried  the  girl. 

"By  forgetting  the  past,  by  confiding  the 
future  to  me,  dear  Carine ;  by  permitting  your- 
self to  be  happy  !  " 


212  CARINE. 

Marius  took  both  Carina's  hands  in  his,  and 
this  time  she  did  not  withdraw  them.  He  was 
very  near  her,  their  heads  nearly  touched ;  he 
gently  passed  his  arm  around  her  waist  and 
drew  her  to  him.  Carine  did  not  resist,  but 
let  her  lovely  blond  head  fall  on  his  shoulder. 
*'  Dearest,"  murmured  he,  caressing  her  beau- 
tiful hair,  "will  you  be  my  wife,  before  God 
and  before  man,  forever?" 

"  Ah,"  said  she,  "  that  would  be  too  great 
happiness  !     I  do  not  deserve  it." 

"  It  is  not  for  thee  that  I  pray,"  said  Marius, 
"it  is  for  myself;  for  I  cannot  live  without 
thee,  I  cannot  separate  my  destiny  from  thine ; 
and  I  will  make  the  future  so  happy  that  the 
remembrance  of  the  past  will  never  present 
itself  to  thy  thoughts." 

Carine  disengaged  one  of  her  hands,  and 
placing  it  on  Marius's  forehead  murmured, 
"Oh,  it  seems  that  I  can  feel  my  heart 
reborn !  Can  I  ever  endure  such  perfect 
happiness?" 


CARINE.  ,  213 

"Joy  never  kills,"  replied  her  lover.  "To- 
morrow I  will  go  to  Lilla-Edet,  and  I  will  ask 
thy  father  for  thee." 

"  My  father  is  not  at  Lilla-Edet ;  we  have 
left  that  sad  place,  which  recalls  so  many  cruel 
thoughts.  He  now  lives  a  mile  from  here  on 
a  little  farm  which  he  owns ;  and  he  will  be 
so  happy  to  see  you ;  but  he  will  believe,  as  I 
do,  that  it  is  all  a  dream." 

"A  dream  which  will  have  no  wakening," 
said  Marius,  pressing  the  hand  of  the  beautiful 
Swede  and  looking  at  her  tenderly.  But  he 
perceived  that  to  this  poor  soul,  so  long 
plunged  in  the  depths  of  despair,  sorrowful 
thoughts  continually  returned ;  and  as  his 
desire  was  at  any  cost  to  distract  her,  he 
resolved  no  longer  to  speak  of  love,  but  asked 
her  what  she  had  done  after  he  left  her  uncle's 
house. 

"  I  regretted  you,"  replied  Carine  with  an 
adorable  naivete.  Then  remembering  suddenly 
where  she  was  she  blushed,  and  said,     "  That 


214  CARINE. 

was  not  what  I  meant  to  say.  I  was  very  glad 
to  see  you  go." 

"One  is  precisely  the  contrary  of  the  other," 
said  Marius,  smiling,  "  and  I  am  puzzled  which 
to  believe." 

"Neither  one  nor  the  other,"  said  she,  shrug- 
ging her  shoulders.  "  How  stupid  men  are 
not  to  comprehend  what  we  mean,  without 
explanation  !  Yes,  I  was  at  the  same  time  sad 
and  joyous  to  see  you  go, — joyous  because 
your  presence  was  a  restraint  upon  me,  for  I 
felt  that  I  was  learning  to  love  you ;  and  I  did 
not  wish  — "  here  she  hid  her  face  in  her  hands. 
"  Sad,"  continued  she,  "  for  it  seemed  to  me 
that  I  should  never  see  you  again." 

Marius's  eyes  glistened  with  the  sweetest 
tears  that  ever  moistened  a  man's  eyes.  "  Now 
at  least  tell  me  all,"  cried  he.  "  I  wish  to 
know  all,  —  before  my  coming,  after  my  arri- 
val, during  my  absence,  —  all,  all!" 

"  Mon  Dieu .'  all  is  almost  nothing,"  replied 
Carine,  alarmed  at  the  profound  tenderness  he 


CARINE.  215 

showed.  "  Know  only  that  you  were  never 
indifferent  to  me.  From  the  first  time  I  saw 
you  I  thought  you  affectionate  and  good ;  my 
judgment  then  was  disinterested,  for  I  believed 
myself  separated  from  the  world  and  from  life. 
After  a  while  I  could  not  help  seeing  that  you 
took  an  interest  in  me.  My  first  impulse  was 
to  reciprocate ;  then  fear  took  possession  of 
me.  I  feared  that  a  new  love  would  also  prove 
a  new  misfortune  ;  and  believing  that  I  had  yet 
time,  I  kept  out  of  your  way.  A  new  love,  — 
it  horrified  me  even  to  think  of  it !  /  was 
then  false  as  he,  and  he  had  done  well  to  scorn 
me  and  to  deceive  me ;  for  I  was  as  bad  as  he 
if  I  was  capable  of  so  soon  forgetting  such 
profound  sentiments." 

Here  the  young  girl,  who  had  spoken  rapidly^ 
paused  for  breath ;  then  she  continued. 

"  The  evening  when  you  drew  my  picture,  — 
a  portrait  so  admirably  done,  and  which  I  have 
looked  at  many  times  since,  —  I  felt  emotions 
that  I  had  believed  forever  dead.     But  I  would 


2l6 


not  permit  myself  to  think  of  you ;  I  fled  from 
you ;  and  when  by  chance  I  met  you,  1  turned 
another  way.  But  in  spite  of  all,  my  friend, 
when  you  went  away  it  seemed  to  me  that  the 
world  was  empty.  Dear  absent  one  !  I  sought 
you  everywhere.  I  sought  your  eyes,  so  many 
times  tenderly  fixed  on  mine,  and  reproached 
myself  with  my  coldness  to  you.  I  listened  for 
the  sound  of  your  steps,  and  I  grieved  when  I 
heard  them  not,  for  I  had  learned  to  distinguish 
them  from  all  others.  I  ought  to  tell  you  also 
that  in  giving  a  new  interest  to  my  life,  in 
creating  in  me,  whether  I  would  or  no,  a  new 
source  of  thought,  you  had  done  me  much 
good ;  you  taught  me  that  I  had  more  life  in 
me  than  I  supposed.  But  the  remembrance 
of  my  first  mistake  and  of  my  resistance  to 
my  parent's  will  always  came  between  us,  and 
told  me  that  I  was  not  worthy  of  you,  and  that 
I  did  not  deserve  the  happiness  of  being  a 
good  man's  wife.  I  resolved  to  fly  from  the 
house  where  you  were  sure  to  return.     Now, 


CARINE.  217 

my  friend,  you  know  all ;  you  have  judged  me, 
and  I  feel  that  you  have  pardoned  me." 

"  Ah,  what  have  I  to  pardon,  my  beloved  ? 
God  himself,  who  sees  the  depths  of  our  hearts, 
finds  thee  as  pure  as  the  youngest  of  his  angels. 
Come,  conduct  me  to  your  parents.  To-day 
we  will  love ;  we  will  work  to-morrow." 


The  end  of  our  story  draws  near.  The 
father  of  Carine  had  already  learned  about 
Marius  from  Tegner,  —  of  the  arrival  of  the 
young  Frenchman  at  Gothenburg,  and  of  the 
great  interest  he  had  taken  in  Carine,  and  of 
the  happy  influence  he  had  over  her.  There- 
fore our  hero  was  received  as  a  dear  friend, 
and  before  many  days  the  young  couple  were 
betrothed. 

In  Sweden  the  ceremony  of  betrothal,  or  as 
we  call  it  in  France  fiancailks,  is  completely 
distinct   from  that  of  marriage.     Between  the 


2  20  CARINE. 

first  and  the  second  there  elapses  sometimes 
several  years.  This  custom  has  few  inconven- 
iences and  many  advantages ;  it  is  like  a  novi- 
tiate of  marriage.  Gradually  the  young  couple 
become  accustomed  to  the  grave  ideas  which 
ought  to  be  born  of  this  sacrament ;  they  slowly 
awake  to  life's  seriousness,  and  advance  step  by 
step  toward  the  end  which  they  have  so  long 
contemplated,  instead  of  precipitating  them- 
selves headlong  toward  the  irrevocable.  They 
do  not  improvise  eternal  bonds,  but  tighten  the 
knot  more  and  more  each  day,  until  the  hour 
when  it  becomes  indissoluble.  They  replace 
the  fierceness  of  love  .by  a  peaceful  companion- 
ship, learning  to  love  each  other  more  by  a 
mutual  understanding.  Their  manners  are  puri- 
fied and  refined  by  this  companionship,  while 
their  happiness  preserves  always  the  hope  of 
greater  joy.  Thus  the  first  years  of  life  are  not 
deprived  of  their  sweetest  charm  ;  the  spring- 
time of  youth  is  not  allowed  to  remain  a 
stranger   to   love,   but   this   preliminary   bond, 


CA  RINE.  2  21 

which  nothing  can  diminish  in  purity  or 
strength,  preserves  the  youthful  heart  from  ills 
which  might  otherwise  overtake  it.  Between 
the  first  youth  —  unreflecting,  untrained,  and  a 
little  foolish  —  and  life  cold,  serious,  and  posi- 
tive, this  custom  puts  an  interval  of  calm  en- 
joyment, of  delightful  reflection,  and  of  labor 
sweetened  by  prospective  happiness,  and  these 
first  years  of  strength,  always  restless,  pass  thus 
consoled  and  serene.  When  evil  hours  and 
temptations  come  to  a  youth,  he  has  at  least  as 
a  defence  that  which  is  wanting  with  us,  —  a 
remembrance  and  a  cherished  thought ;  life  has 
from  the  first  an  aim,  which  becomes  its  charm ; 
wisdom  is  less  difficult  to  follow  when  one 
knows  the  recompense ;  and  in  waiting  the  time 
when  he  will  also  be  the  head  of  a  family,  the 
young  man  takes  refuge  in  hope  to  escape  the 
solitude  of  soul,  —  the  worst  of  all  solitudes. 
Dreamer  by  nature,  in  place  of  dreaming  of  an 
unknown  woman,  or  doing  worse  still,  he  dreams 
of  the  maiden  who  will  one  day  be  his  wife. 


222  CARINE. 

The  Ranees  have  a  social  position,  recognized 
by  law  as  well  as  by  custom.  They  cannot 
break  the  bond  without  cause  ;  one  cannot  dis- 
miss lightly,  or  repudiate  without  motive,  a  faith- 
ful fiance.  For  the  rest  they  enjoy  a  sufficient 
liberty;  they  accept  invitations  together,  and 
without  the  family;  together  they  go  to  the 
play  or  to  the  ball,  and  they  walk  together,  — 
together  and  alone  I  —  two  words  which  mean 
much  to  lovers.  No  one  dares  to  criticise  this, 
for  they  know  that  a  woman  is  never  more  safe 
nor  more  respected  than  by  him  who  expects 
one  day  to  be  her  husband.  By  giving  young 
girls  more  liberty  an  inordinate  desire  for  free- 
dom is  prevented,  or  woman's  rights,  which 
compromise  in  many  cases  the  happiness  of 
homes.  In  France  the  women  marry  more  to 
obtain  social  position  and  freedom  than  for  love 
of  their  husbands.  In  Sweden,  where  they 
have  more  to  lose  than  to  gain  by  marriage, 
they  accept  the  husbands  in  spite  of  marriage. 


One  day  Tegner  was  delighted  to  welcome 
Marius  and  Carine.  But  was  this  Carine? 
Could  one  recognize  the  poor  abandoned  one 
in  this  brilliant  beauty  with  dazzling  smiles, — 
beautiful  in  her  happiness  ?  Every  one  hastened 
to  congratulate  them  ;  and  Brask,  who  was  at 
the  time  assisting  Elfrida  to  wind  a  skein  of 
silk,  was  not  the  last  one  to  wish  them  joy. 

In  the  mean  time  Marius  had  written  a  long 
letter   to    his    father,   to    explain    how  he    had 


2  24  CARINE. 

fallen  in  love  with  a  beautiful  and  amiable  girl, 
and  that  they  were  dXx^^diy  fiances  ;  that  he  had 
not  thought  to  find  a  wife  in  Sweden,  but  that 
he  loved  this  maiden  very  much,  and  knew  he 
would  be  happy  with  her.  Here  followed  en- 
thusiastic praises  of  Carine.  He  ended  by 
begging  his  father  to  permit  him  to  marry  her 
at  her  uncle's  house,  before  setting  out  for 
France. 

The  father  replied  :  — 

"  Unfortunate  child  !  you  are  the  pest  of  my 
life.  But  as  you  have  deserted  a  noble  career 
of  commerce,  marry  whom  you  will ;  any 
woman  is  good  enough  for  an  artist."  [Here 
allow  us  to  add  in  parenthesis  that  the  consul 
had  given  to  Monsieur  Danglade  the  best 
references  in  the  world  of  the  family  of 
Carine.]  "  I  do  not  think  it  was  precisely  for 
that  I  sent  you  to  Sweden,  as  you  say,  although 
I  have  not  the  advantage  of  knowing  your 
future  wife ;  but  1  had  reserved  for  you  here  a 
certain   brunette,    who   is    not    a    beauty,   but 


CARINE.  225 

whose  complexion  the  sun  will  never  harm 
(unlike  your  blond),  and  with  whose  dot  you 
might  forever  be  relieved  of  the  necessity  of 
selling  your  poor  pictures. 

"  However,  bring  home  your  incomparable 
blonde  !  I  would  like  to  see  her.  But  if  she 
does  not  prove  the  marvel  you  describe,  I  will 
send  you  both  to  seek  your  fortunes  in  Lap- 
land. Tell  her  I  hope  she  will  learn  to  love 
her  old  father-in-law  a  little,  and  that  I  will 
try  to  support  you  both  —  and  even  all  three  — 
next  year !  " 


IS 


At  the  end  of  October,  when  already  the  ice 
descending  from  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  began 
to  heap  up  in  the  entrance  of  the  Belt,  "  La 
Walkyrie "  made  her  last  trip  for  the  season. 
At  the  stern  of  the  vessel  a  young  man  and 
woman  enveloped  in  furs,  and  like  two  chilly 
birds  pressed  closely  against  each  other,  gazed, 
hand  in  hand,  at  the  swiftly  passing  shores  of 
Sweden,  —  the  beautiful  fjord  where  the  river 
Gotha  rolls  her  silver  waves,  and  the  noble 
hills,  crowned  with  oaks  and  young  elms,  which 
rise  above  the  city.  The  young  woman,  at  the 
moment  when  the  vessel  passed  into  the  open 


228 


sea,  waved  a  silent  adieu  to  Sweden.  She  was 
not  sad,  —  there  was  on  the  contrary  an  ex- 
pression of  happiness  in  her  eyes ;  but  she  was 
agitated,  pensive,  and  serious,  as  one  always  is 
when  for  the  first  time  their  native  land  is  left 
behind. 

"  Dear  Carine,"  said  her  husband,  pressing 
her  close  to  his  heart,  "  fear  nothing.  We  shall 
be  together,  and  we  will  soon  return."  Then 
leading  her  to  the  other  side  of  the  vessel,  he 
pointed  southward,  saying  :  "  Dearest,  there,  in 
that  sunny  clime,  you  will  find  loving  hearts  to 
welcome  you  !  " 

Carine  smiled,  and  placed  her  hand  in  his. 
Then  silently  they  watched  the  fast  receding 
shores. 


^vl ^=^.-_-r-i^,' 


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